On the Brink
by Emil Lime
Summary: Prison isn't all its cracked up to be and being aquited has its price. the price for Yuri? Uncovering a government conspiracy before time runs out for himself, the world, and his best friend. slight AU no pairing, just friendship.
1. Discuss and Decide

I had the hardest time thinking up a good title for this fanfiction and i'm still not sure it fits 100%. But oh well, please read, enjoy and review! and just so you all know, i only own the plot and the original characters i put into it. everything else is not mine (though i sure wish it was). Also note that i would love constructive critisim. THis is my first fanfiction, so i can use all the help i can get! XD THANKS!

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Chapter One – Discuss and Decide

A cold rain began to pour upon the capital city. It's huge droplets smashed against the ground, and sent all who were in the streets running for cover.

The dirt and grime of yesterday began to run off the buildings and onto the streets, where it was then pulled into a gutter and ridded of existence for good. The entire city was being cleaned, purified.

As rushed footsteps pushed people into the nearest building, one simply pressed on. He continued to walk forward, allowing the rain to stain his clothes, soak his face, and hopefully clear his soul.

His hair fell into his face, he couldn't stop shivering, but he didn't care. He just needed to walk. Walk and think…

Walk and think…

Walk and think…

He stopped and looked up at the sky, seeming to just register the rain falling upon him.

He closed his eyes and stretched his arms out.

Was he trying to catch the rain? He didn't know, it just felt so good.

People cluttered under street stands and canopied tops just to stare at him. They pondered his actions, standing in the rain…

But he couldn't care less.

It was people like them, after all, who were making him do this.

He opened his eyes and looked up at the clouds hovering over him. Were they crying for him? Did they feel sorry for him?

Maybe so…

He thought back on the events…It had really only been a few days hadn't it?

It felt like an eternity to him…

But it was only a few days ago…that everything was going fine, the weather was warm and pleasant, and not a drop of rain was suppose to fall and rid the world of it's stains…of it's impurities…of him…

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The blonde quietly stepped into the whispering conference room. He was a few minuets late, having misjudged the clock in the lobby to be on time. He made a mental note to fix that once all of this was over.

He found his seat and immediately began to shrink into his big chair. He was the only Captain here…The rest of them were Generals…two step above Captain, and only two steps away from being Commandant.

He felt very small, and his only wish was to disappear into the background.

One voice began to speak out, wishing to be heard, "We don't have the time to pull it through a committee!" It was an irritated female voice.

"She has a point, you know," the man's voice was pleasant, the blonde noted, compared to the girl who had just spoken.

The blonde tried so hard to remember the names of all of the Generals…But he was really drawing a blank.

"If we don't put it through a committee then the people can cry foul play," huffed a huge man who seemed to be struggling with sitting in the already oversized chair. The man seemed to overflow the chair's arms. The blonde remembered him. He was General Tao of Naval Protection, his color's being red and yellow. The blonde wasn't to sure how a man as massive as General Tao managed NOT to sink a ship, but that was really beyond the point…

"Tao has a point Asera, if the people disagree with it, then we have no right to carry it through," There was that pleasant voice again…The blonde couldn't place a finger on the voice's name though.

The man did say Asera though, and the blonde remembered that name. Her colors were, if he remembered right, white and pink. She was in charge of protecting the capital, and she was also very noisy. Though she spent most of her time on patrols, the blonde did remember seeing her roam around the castle like a lost puppy…

Asera sat back in her chair, "Why can't we say we're the committee?"

The pleasant voice spoke up again, "A committee has to be a diverse amount of people and opinions…"

Asera interrupted him, "We are! We've got some females and some males! And we have that captain over there!"

Oh God, the blonde thought. Why did she have to bring him into this? It was already awkward enough to have to sit in a room full of generals. Being picked out by one was even worse.

The blonde shrank down into his chair further, trying to blend into the chair.

"He has a name Asera," The pleasant voice commented, "His name is Captain Flynn Scifo."

Of course he would add in the rank, the blonde thought.

"Yes, Asera, but he's one captain," Tao managed to speak before grunting uncomfortably and trying to adjust his position.

Flynn tried his best not to laugh at the fat man.

Asera pouted, "So? That's diverse, isn't it?"

The pleasant voice sighed, "Asera, we have to form a committee and it can't just be us."

"You're suppose to side with me, Justice!"

That was his name! General Justice, the most famous General in the empire and also the most popular. Although his face was a rarity in the capital due to the fact he was assigned to continue the discovery of the frontier of Wecca, he was well loved for his gentleness in speech and action. He was a rather attractive man, with a thin, lean body and a perfect face. His eyes were calm and compassionate and spoke wonders when they danced around in the light of the room. He was also one of the only knights who had three colors, which were black, maroon and white. The blonde couldn't remember all of the metals and honors the General had won, but it was quite a few.

Justice simply laughed a little, "Asera, it's not about friendship here. It's all about what's fair," The General leaned forward, resting his head on a hand, "If we don't do what's best for the people in this situation, then we are not doing our job."

Asera turned her head in defeat.

Justice continued, "I know it will take longer, but that matter needs to be put into a committee. That's the best we can do."

Asera nodded her head in such a way that almost made it like the two of them had come to an agreement rather than her losing the debate.

Flynn began to ponder what it was they were actually talking about. Whatever it was, they had quickly dropped it and decided to move onto what he was there for.

He, as well as them, were here to talk about a very important subject.

A subject that was very sensitive to the blonde, but one that he would never let others discuss without him.

The subject was Yuri Lowell.

"Well," huffed Tao, "Shall we talk about that man…Yuri Lowell was it?"

"Yes," Flynn piped up, "Yuri Lowell."

"Ah, I've heard that name…" Justice spoke, pulling a file out from under the table.

Flynn winced at the loud thud the file made as it hit the table. Once Flynn got a good look at it, he realized it was practically the size of a dictionary! Was Yuri really getting into that much trouble while Flynn was unable to keep his eye on him?

Justice flipped through the file a little, seeming a bit surprised at the number of crimes the individual had committed.

Flynn knew there was no real pattern to Yuri's behavior. His crimes varied from tax evasion to murder (though Flynn knew that any murder crime Yuri was accused of was unfounded since the blonde would have personally killed Yuri had that actually happened).

"So, we are to review this file and…" Justice pondered.

"Take a course of action," Tao stammered. He wiped his brow with a handkerchief he had pulled out of his pocket, "Yuri Lowell has finally been caught and imprisoned. He is a convicted felon on many accounts and is yet to receive punishment."

Justice let out a soft 'oh' while still looking through the file. His eyes stayed focused on the many pages for a small while, making the entire room wonder if he had even heard Tao speak, but then he looked up. He examined everyone in the room until his eyes finally fell upon the blonde Captain.

"Captain Flynn Scifo?"

"Feel free to call me Flynn," the blonde noted. He hated it when he was addressed formally.

"Flynn then," Justice smiled, "You're here to talk in Yuri's defense?"

Flynn wasn't sure if Justice was trying to be polite or condescending, "Yes, Yuri has been convicted of many crimes, but if I can bring something to your attention…"

Flynn motioned for the file, which Justice willingly handed over.

Flynn stood up once he found the page he was looking for, "Here it is noted that most, if not all, accounts of conviction were handed out and confirmed by Captain Cumore," Flynn Placed the file down and put both hands on the table, "If you ask me, that is not an accurate review of the crimes Mr. Yuri Lowell has committed."

All of the Generals seemed to put their eyes on the blonde. At least he was getting their attention.

Flynn continued, "One man convicting someone on every crime he is accused of committing hardly seems fair. We are a government set on fairness and equality for all. Yuri Lowell was not convicted by a jury nor by more than one man. I believe that since Captain Cumore failed to obtain another opinion on the convictions of Yuri Lowell, that these convictions held against him should be void."

The room broke out in whispers.

Flynn looked around at the people's faces. He must have struck a nerve.

Justice was the first to speak up, "That is a very good point, Flynn," Justice motioned for the rest of the Generals to quite themselves, "In the 'Law of the Land', it is written that all men and women shall be judged by a jury of peers or by a committee made up of multiple people varying in race, color, gender and creed."

Flynn spoke, "And it is written later that if a person receives judgment upon their record by one person, or by an unfair committee, that by law that person shall be released of that crime."

Justice motioned for people halt their whispering before it started, "That is true as well."

Flynn almost let out a smile of victory, "So I believe Mr. Yuri Lowell should be let out of prison since all the crimes that hold him there were sentenced unfairly."

Tao lifted his meaty arm in a motion for the file. Flynn quickly handed it over and waited for Tao to finish his look.

Tao put the file on the table after a long while, "out of the 706 crimes said to be committed by Yuri Lowell, 700 of them were reviewed by Captain Cumore and sentenced by Captain Cumore. That leaves 6 crimes he has connection too."

Flynn nodded, "I recommend that Mr. Yuri Lowell be released while a committee or jury deliberates over these crimes."

Asera spoke up, "But won't he just cause trouble when he's released. They did just catch him, so it hardly seems fair that the knights who caught him will have to re-catch him once the committee or jury has reached a verdict."

Flynn hadn't thought of that.

"For once, Asera has a point," A seductive female voice spoke. The blonde looked towards the direction of the voice. A female dressed in silver and light blue sat in her chair. One leg dangled daintily over the other, and she had her hands in her lap. Her long black hair was hung past her shoulders and to her back. Her icy blue eyes stared back at Flynn.

The blonde was immediately captivated by her crisp red lips, which seemed to beg for someone to taste them.

The blonde was brought back to reality with the sound of Asera's complaining, "Ice Witch…" she growled.

Flynn realized that Asera calling the other female an 'Ice Witch' made a lot of since. She was General Flanoir and her job was to excavate the ruins that lied under the blade drifts of Zalphar. She was known for her cold personality and blunt way of speaking. But despite her personality, she was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the knights. Her long black hair and her icy blue eyes enchanted every man that looked upon her, and left many other women feeling quite envious.

Flynn even felt captivated by her beauty and was immediately enticed to be in her company, but he brushed that feeling off and spoke, "Then put him under house arrest or something. As long as he stays within Zaphias, the capital, we can guarantee that he will be here for when the jury or committee wishes to discuss his cases."

Flanoir flipped a long part of her black hair away from her face, "Who would be adequate for such a job?"

Flynn had to ponder his next words carefully. If he said someone like himself were qualified for the job, he would be called out for self-interest in this discussion and the matter could then legally be ignored. But he had no back-up plan. He could always ask Raven to do it. With Raven pretending to be Captain Schwann, he could easily watch Yuri without Yuri arguing against it. But that was also a bad move. It was no secret Flynn and Schwann were close friends and if Flynn suggested Schwann, the Generals could claim self-interest again, making the case legally dismissible.

Before Flynn could speak up, Justice gave a suggestion, "What about General Chandler?"

The whole room went quiet and Flynn found his mind panicking to remember who General Chandler was.

Flynn had been Yuri's best friend since they were six. He knew that man inside and out, which meant he knew whom Yuri would get along with and whom he wouldn't. Flynn had no intention of putting Yuri with someone who he would argue with, someone who might actually drive him to kill.

Flynn knew Yuri had a temper, and the blonde wasn't about to let that be deployed.

Flanoir was taken aback by the name, "Chandler? General Chandler? Do you think he's really qualified for such a task?"

"I didn't even know he was in the capital," Asera commented putting her elbows on the table.

Justice smiled, "He just got back into town, actually."

"Is that so," Tao spoke, once again adjusting how he was sitting.

"Yes. He's easy to get along with, isn't he?" Justice gave a slight smirk, letting Flynn know there was something he wasn't being told.

"I feel a little stupid asking this, but who is General Chandler? I don't think I've ever heard of him," Flynn tried to make it sound like he was less clueless then he actually was.

Flynn had to be honest; he had no idea who General Chandler was. The name didn't even ring a bell, meaning he had never heard the name. Flynn was known for having a good memory. If he had heard this man's name before, he would have remembered.

Justice looked Flynn in the eyes, "General Chandler was put onto a rather secret assignment after the end of the war, so I'm not to surprised you haven't heard of him.

The blonde suddenly got a picture of an old guy in his mind. He shook his head; "You think he's qualified to watch Mr. Yuri Lowell under house arrest?"

Flynn didn't mean for it to sound as accusing as it actually did, but he couldn't help it.

Justice locked his fingers together and rested his chin on them, "General Chandler is a great man, very strong, very respected. I think he can handle Yuri Lowell," the pleasant General looked up into Flynn's eyes.

"He's really back in town…" Asera spoke, "I barley know who he is."

"Well it figures you wouldn't know him since you're so young and didn't join the knights until after the war was over," Flanoir accused. She had a taste of malice in her voice, which set Asera off.

"What are you saying," Asera stood up and pointed an accusing finger in Flanoir's direction, "If I remember right, you didn't become a General until after I did!"

Flanoir got defensive, "You became a General only a few days before me since I was on the field!"

"Watch your voices ladies," Tao managed to choke out, "It is very disrespectful to argue amongst yourselves when we are already in a discussion."

Both girls looked at Tao, who was wiping his brow with a cloth again.

Justice smiled at the both of them, "You can fight later."

A spell almost seemed to be cast upon the girls, as they both sat down and regained their composer. The blonde was surprised; did General Justice have any idea how much control he had over them?

"So is it settled?" Justice inquired.

Flanoir thought for a moment, "I guess it would work. That is, if General Chandler isn't busy."

Flynn still wasn't sure about this. He had no background information on this 'respected' General Chandler. The blonde knew that it didn't matter what the empire thought of someone, it was Yuri Lowell who ultimately decided who was respectable or not.

"I'm sure he's available, Flanoir," Justice spoke. He stood up, "Then it's settled, we will equate Yuri Lowell of 700 crimes, and have the other 6 be decided upon by a jury or committee, whichever is readily available. Until these crimes can be reviewed, Yuri Lowell will be put under house arrest, and will be watched by General Chandler Vice."

Justice smiled at Flynn again, "Are there any objections?"

When silence was the only thing to grace the General's ears, he spoke, "Alright then, this committee is dismissed."

The blonde could only think he saw something. A something on General Justice's face. Something that said things were more than they seemed.

Maybe Flynn was being paranoid, he had just held his own against a group of Generals.

The Generals began to leave the room and Flynn could hear Asera perk up and say, "I told you we were a committee!" With some more complaints from Tao and Flanoir and a laugh from Justice, the blonde still felt uneasy.

But all of Flynn's paranoia turned into reality when General Justice walked by him.

Cold air. Dark air. Flynn had felt it. General Justice was hiding something, and Flynn didn't like it one bit.


	2. Prisoner

WooHoo Chapter Two! (it rymed) Anyway, i will be alternating between view points, so this is from Yuri's pov. These first few chapters are really setting the stage for later events, so bare with me. The next chapter will begin to introduce the core plot. XD either way, this is from Yuri's pov, so the language will be a bit stronger and there will also be a few more suggestive themes (its prison after all). I'll make sure and include warnings at the top if things are more towards T+. XD As always, i own nothing from the original game, all original characters and plots are mine though! Read, Enjoy and Review!

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Chapter Two – Prisoner

If anyone wished to be put in prison to escape the pain of having to work everyday, paying taxes, or having to find food to eat everyday, Yuri Lowell strictly opposed that. He decided that once he got out of prison, he would be the main advocator against going to prison just to escape the hard parts about living, rather it was paying money, working for minimum wage or having to choose an outfit to wear everyday.

He would gladly get out and work for less than a penny a week and struggle to pay taxes, because prison sucked. Not only did it suck, it sucked ass.

Big ass.

First off, when he had finally entered the long-term prison (not that sissy one that keeps you for 10 days and lets you out), they had tried to cut his hair. Not only did they fail, they had all gotten their hands sliced to ribbons. Nobody, and he means nobody, can cut his hair.

Next, they decided to throw him into a cell that held 8 people. It already contained 6 people, making him the 7th. Most of those 'wonderful' six people drove him up a wall.

He had only been there for a week and he knew almost all of their life stories. And it wasn't because he cared all that much; it was because they wouldn't shut-up about them!

The first guy was Alvert, a big muscle man without much brain. He had beat up a bunch of knights in the port town of Capua Nor and been arrested for it. Yuri still didn't know why the guy was serving 20 year for it, but Alvert was never silent about the story at all.

"So I tolds the guy, 'No, I won't stop punchin' 'da guy wit the helmet on 'is head" Alvert had told Yuri for the 14th time today.

The second guy was Roger Von Dansish XII, a nobleman who believed he was so rich and noble that he didn't have to pay taxes or treat anyone but himself with respect. He was locked up for 10 years, and for another 30 years would be on probation, where he could only access his money for governmental purposes. He would be held in prison and made to pay his taxes on time.

Yuri had come to understand it as holding him in prison for 40 years, but Roger Von Dansish XII had seen it differently, and made sure to emphasize its difference whenever he could.

"I have to be in prison with these…these 'common folk', for 10 years and then I have probation for 30 years…" Air quotes were always put around the words 'common folk'.

"I know it's easy to misread my sentence as 40 years of prison, but that's not it. You see…"

Yuri rolled his eyes whenever Roger Von Dansish XII began to tell his story again.

The third person was a woman named Teeadoor, a prostitute who screwed with one to many high-ranking knights and judges and got put in prison for 25 years. She was always hitting on someone. Yuri had been her target as of late.

Yuri was young and fresh, a real taste of sweet action she hadn't seen in a long time.

Every morning Yuri would wake up to, "Oh Yuri," a moan would be placed after his name, "Let me take off that orange jumpsuit and play with you."

And every morning Yuri would have to push her away in order to get up.

The forth and fifth man were twins, both arsonists who loved anything that had to do with fire. Oscar and Escar. Oscar made it clear that he was older than Escar by a whole 3 and ½ minuets time, and Escar made it clear that he was smarter than Oscar by 3 and ½ times as much.

The two of them had set the research facility in Aspio on fire, and also had plans to burn down the Halure tree.

"Then all the dynamite caught fire and…"

"Boom!" Escar would always finish.

The sixth Person was the only person Yuri knew almost nothing about. The only thing Yuri every heard the man say was, "Can I have a cigg?" or "Do ya got a lighter?"

The man was obviously obsessed with smoking, and probably had a horrible addiction to it too. But prison was a smoking-free facility, so the poor sap had to suffer.

Yuri didn't know why the smoker was in prison, or for how long, but he made a note of not caring, just like with the other five people in the room he was forced to be in. Unfortunately for Yuri, the majority of them thought that Yuri had a deep compassion to know their life stories, which was completely and totally not true in the least.

It was lunch/recreation time, and Yuri was standing in line next to Roger Von Dansish XII and the twins. He couldn't decide which story he was going to listen to again. Both stories didn't interest him in the least, and quite frankly, he didn't want to hear any of them. Again.

He grabbed one of the grubby trays from the stack and grabbed a plate from on top of the serving rack.

As he went through, he saw it was meatloaf special today.

'Special' meant it was left over from about three to four weeks ago.

Yuri grimaced at the thought of having to digest something that was probably growing mold colonies.

"Plate please," spoke the slightly overweight cook who held a large spoonful of what was suppose to be meatloaf. It looked more like clumps of meat thrown into a pan and reheated together.

It reminded Yuri of his dog's old dog food. Maybe that's what this 'meatloaf' was and everyone was lead to believe it was some sort of 'meatloaf'.

"Plate," she said again, this time a little louder.

Yuri turned his head, "oh, yeah, sorry." He put his plate up on the rack, and was dished some of the 'meatloaf special'.

It made a squishy noise as it landed on his plate.

"Next, plate please."

Yuri slide down the line, continuing to hear the conversations of Roger Von Dansish XII and the twins.

Once Yuri had reached the end of the line, he had obtained, along with his meatloaf special, crunchy, undercooked green beans, mushy apple slices and a slice of flimsy wheat bread. He also got a cup of room temperature milk.

He turned to look at the huge room. Tables that sat multiple people filled the room. The noise was massive.

He could see Roger Von Dansish XII, Alvert and Teeadoor had already made residence at the table to the right.

It was a thing, he found out, for cellmates to save each other seats. They were suppose to be the closest thing to family you had in prison, and by sticking with them, especially if you were new, you could avoid any unnecessary fights or disputes.

But Yuri refused to sit with them. He could hardly stand having to be with them all the other times he had to be, rather it was night, rest time, or in the morning.

He looked for an empty spot somewhere.

There were plenty, of course, but he was a smart man.

Many of the spots that were available were not the places someone as skinny and new as he would want to sit. He would instantly become a target of a sex maniac or some big thug who thought he owned the place.

He scanned the area once more; almost ready to give up and force himself to sit with the people he hated most when he saw a spot he could easily sit in.

It was next to the smoker from his cell.

Although Yuri had no idea why the man would sit all by himself instead of sitting with the 'wonderful' people of his cell, Yuri didn't hesitate to go over to him and sit next to him.

Yuri places his tray down next to the smoker, and the smoker looked up at him with a questioning look.

"Can I sit here?" Yuri asked.

The smoker seemed to think about it for a minuet and then replied, "Sure, I don't care."

Yuri sat down, noticing the smoker going back to playing with the food on his tray.

After several minuets in silence, the smoker spoke up, "I can see why you lose so much weight by going to prison…"

Yuri pondered the comment for a moment, "the food, huh?"

"You catch on fast. Yup, crap not even worthy of having swine eat it…"

The smoker had a point.

Yuri had managed to eat his green beans and his apple slices. He also had taken a few sips of his warm milk, but decided he wouldn't finish the rest, "Maybe that's their plan, huh? Make us all eat nothing and make us too weak to resist them."

"Sounds about right to me," the smoker spoke.

The smoker's voice was gruff and harsh sounding, making Yuri question how long the man had actually smoked. The man looked like he was no more than 25 or 30, but he sounded like he was in his 50's.

"So, why aren't you sitting with the rest of the cell peeps?" Yuri inquired as he pushed his tray away.

"Oh, them?" the smoker pointed. Yuri nodded. The smoker sighed, "Oh, their freaks. I swear to the good Lord, I never get a moment of silence when I'm around them. And those twins, all they talk about is fire and smoke…" The smoker let out a sigh.

"Heavy smoker, huh?"

"Eh? Just a little," the smoker looked towards the ceiling, "But this place don't let people smoke, so I've been off of it for a good 2 weeks or so."

Yuri was actually pretty impressed. Most people go crazy being off that long, but this man had managed to keep his sanity, even with the cellmates he had to be with.

"Going cold turkey ain't much fun buddy, never do it."

Yuri commented, "I wasn't planning to…"

A long silence passed between them again.

"Everyone has introduced themselves to me and also told me why there in here and how long," Yuri was the first to speak, "You're the only one who hasn't, you know."

His eyes glittered with amusement for a moment, but then died again, "Well, don't be offended, but I really don't want to get that interment with you," That made since to Yuri, "And also, I don't think you give a damn how I got here and how long I've got to wait till I'm in the free."

"I appreciate it, actually," Yuri commented, "You probably know how annoying it can be to listen to them tell their stories over and over…and waking up to Teeadoor, not my cup of tea."

"I know how you feel, but a word of advice…"

Yuri perked up, "What?"

"Don't screw her, it only gets worse."

Yuri was a bit surprised but laughed anyway, "Really? You know?"

"Hell yes, trust me, ok? When she says 'I'll leave you alone if you just let me have a little nibble', don't believe her, 'kay?"

Yuri nodded, "I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the warning."

"Yeah," The smoker spoke as he continued to look at the ceiling.

Yuri didn't really know what to say now. By far, this smoker was the closest thing he had to an intelligent conversation. But he would seriously go insane if the only person he could talk to for the rest of his days was this guy!

That was when the smoker stretched, "If it wasn't for the fact they keep tabs on when you get food and when you don't, I would skip the eating entirely."

"They keep tabs?"

"Yeah, otherwise you could kill yourself by starvation. If you skip a certain number of meals, they take you into isolation and force feed you."

Yuri winced at the thought, "Doesn't sound like fun."

The smoker shrugged, "It gets you away from them for a while," He pointed towards the table that held his cellmates.

That, for some reason, made perfect sense to Yuri. He decided, that if they ever became too much, he would skip every meal he could to get away from them.

"I'm going outside," The smoker said while he picked up his tray, "want to come?"

Yuri was surprised that he was being offered to join the smoker, whose name still eluded him.

"Sure," Yuri picked up his tray and followed the smoker over to the trash where they both dumped the trays' content and set them on the cleaning table.

The two of them headed outside.

The sun shown on Yuri's pale skin, almost blinding him. He had forgotten how pale he was for he had been in the dark, artificial light of the inside for so long. This was actually, Yuri noted, the first time he had been outside since he had been thrown in prison.

The smoker was also very pale. In fact, he was almost pale enough to invent a new shade of white. Something Yuri Lowell found to be almost impossible.

The sun's rays clasped to the clouds making the rays scatter in different directions. The clouds were a bright white, and the sky a deep blue. Yuri had never seen such a beautiful sky before. He marveled at its elegance.

"How can such a normal sky make such an impression?" Yuri asked himself. He turned his head away from the sky to see the smoker had already moved on.

The smoker was headed for the basketball courts.

"Hey, wait up!"

The entire recreation center spanned the length of at least 2 football fields. There were two basketball courts, a few picnic tables to play cards at and a lot of grass to lay in.

Yuri also noted that the fence around the recreation center stood at least 10 feet with guard towers at every turn. He could accurately count 6 in view.

Yuri had caught up to the smoker, and stood with him. They both watched a basketball game for a couple beats, watching the ball go from goal to goal, the sweat fall from the brow of many men and the excited steps that scratched and skidded across the pavement.

"Do you play basketball?" Yuri asked, pulling his long purple hair back into a ponytail, which he tied back with some more of his hair.

"Me? Don't think my lungs could support it," The smoker drew in a quick breath, hacking noisily as he exhaled, "Yeah, not for me."

"Oh…" Yuri had never really known the rules to basketball. He had played it in the lower quarter when he was younger. A big group of kids would gather at the flats, a huge slab of pavement that was going to be the foundation for a school before the lower quarter ran out of money to build it. The flats had been fashioned with a set of really cheap basketball goals. The boys and girls he had played with never knew the meaning of the lines, so they never bothered to draw them in.

Just then, while Yuri was in his dazed childhood, the smoker spoke up, "You're pretty young and fit, why don't you give it a try?"

Surprise covered the purple haired man's face, "Me? I don't know the rules. I use to play the game when I was a kid, but we never knew any of the rules."

The smoker simply grinned, "Is that so?"

Yuri gave a shaky smile, not truly knowing what to say to the use-to-be smoker.

A final goal made the game officially come to a close. Many of the men stepped off the court to take a break.

"Wanna shoot some hoops?"

Yuri gave the smoker a look of skepticism, "You sure you can handle something like that?" Yuri walked over and grabbed one of the orange balls and tossed it between his hands. "What happened to 'my lungs couldn't support it'?"

"Comedian in another life I suppose?"

"Just maybe," Yuri walked onto the court followed closely by the smoker, "I take this hoop and you take that one?"

"Sounds like a plan," The smoker drew a hand threw his long black locks, "Don't go too easy on me."

Yuri nodded. He threw the ball in the air, and the game began.


	3. Ponderings

Woot! Chapter 3 is finally up! Thank you so much to those who reviewed the story! You guys are the ones who inspire me to keep writing! XD Anyway, this chapter isn't as long as the other two, but it starts in on some plotness! XD I love Flynn! XD Also, i decided at the last min, but i had the F bomb in there, but decided to edit it out and replace it with a more appropriate version. I don't mean to offend anyone! i will be very sparing with those really big words (but when it's yuri we're talking about, i think that can slide a little). As always i dont' own the game rights, movie rights, or any of that other stuff. I own the OC's and the plotline. READ, ENJOY AND REVIEW! THANKS!!!

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Chapter Three – Ponderings

The rain grew heavier, soaking him through even more than it usually did. A slight shiver entered his bones and he clasped his arms around his wet body.

His once freshly cleaned and pressed white dress shirt now stuck to his skin and showed his bony frame. Ribs jetting from his sides, and spine almost visible.

It made him remember, remember the fact that he hadn't eaten for nearly a week.

He had forgotten to eat, he remembered, and after things started happening, he forgot to even forget to eat. It had become a complete after thought. And here he was, standing in the rain, cold, soaked and hungry.

He put his hands on his face to clear away the wet strands of hair that had managed to stream their way onto his face.

He wrapped his arms around his tiny frame again, the wet shirt engulfing him.

What could he have done anyway? It wasn't like he knew what was going to happen. If he had known…

Well, things would have been different. Very different.

He continued to walk. Walk through the now completely empty streets. He was alone. The streaming buildings and the weeping clouds were the only things to keep him company.

Where was he headed anyway? Did he have a destination?

Not really.

All he knew was that he was going to walk and think.

Walk and think…

Walk and think…

Walk and think…

The world turned shades of gray as he continued to think. His thoughts varied, often being about the huge problem the rain was probably trying to wash away, but also of the trivial things. The small things that you end up missing the most…

* * *

The unfortunate blonde landed face first on his bed. The soft comfiture caught his fall, making a quiet 'plop' sound as he landed.

He turned his head to the side, letting out a long, deep sigh that he had been holding in since he entered the conference room, "At least Yuri is gonna be free…"

He closed his light blue eyes for a moment, as if to gather his thoughts. He sat up on his bed then, and made himself sit comfortably against the wall next to his bed.

The blonde could see all that was in his small room. The desk which held a stack of papers nearly the height of his arm, a small fireplace overflowing with picture frames on and above it, a big closet filled with his normal-day clothes, and of course another dresser with all of his "necessaries" as he put it, and a washing basin on top of that dresser.

Flynn wasn't sure how many times he had actually used the washing basin that sat in his room. It was something you used for cleaning ones face, but he had never found a use for it since he found taking a shower the better alternative.

He looked over at the pictures that sat over his fireplace. One in particular caught his eye. It was a hand-drawn picture Yuri had done for Flynn when they had "officially" become friends.

A huge Flynn head was the entirety of the picture, at least on Yuri's part. Flynn had gotten so angry with his now "best" friend for not including himself in the picture that Flynn had drawn a small Yuri head in the corner of the picture.

Flynn smiled at the warm memory.

If only things could be that peaceful now.

If only Yuri was still taking on the small time. Back then, Yuri threw sticks and stones at knights and called them stupid names. Brash yes, but not completely uncalled for. But now, Yuri had made it his duty to one up that and instead of sticks it was swords and instead of rocks…well, the rock part was still the same. Yuri had a thing for throwing rocks at people's heads. And instead of stupid names like "Idiot" or "Tomato Head" it was "Bastard" and "Mother-F'er".

Not exactly the best way for Yuri to make himself popular with the authorities.

Flynn let himself slip from the wall to the bed, once again 'plopping' down on his sheets.

He sighed again, a little tension being released this time.

It was then that he heard the door open. The blonde was so tempted to tell whomever it was to leave him be, but his polite side got the better of him.

He lifted himself on one arm and looked at the door.

It was Sodia.

Sodia was Flynn's Lieutenant. He orange hair and cat-like brown eyes made her seem rather unapproachable. She was always deeply driven by peace and justice, and never failed to make it her duty to bring up a point. She was blunt and rather forceful at times, which was why she was Flynn Scifo's Lieutenant.

"Sir," She gave him a rather interested look, "What are you doing?"

"Oh," Flynn sat up again, "Nothing, what do you need Sodia?"

The orange-haired female nodded, "General Justice wanted me to inform you that Yuri Lowell's papers will come through by the end of the week." She had said 'Yuri Lowell' with a sort of distaste, as one says the name of a food they don't like.

"Thank you, Sodia."

"Yes," She looked around his room then, allowing her eyes to wonder a little, "Sir, can I ask you something?"

The tired blonde nodded, "Go ahead, Sodia."

She paused, questioning even asking the question in the first place, "Never mind, Sir."

Flynn would have normally jumped at the opportunity to talk to Sodia more, but he was tired and not desiring any conversation lasting more than a few minutes, "Alright, but I'm always here if you need to talk."

"I know, Sir," she hesitated, Flynn even saw that, "You just look tired, Sir, I'll talk to you later."

With a polite bow, Sodia exited the room, disappearing almost as fast as she had appeared.

He lowered himself on the bed again. His head was spinning with thoughts. Sodia had never been one to hold things back; Flynn had learned that the hard way many times. If she brought it up, it usually meant that it needed to be talked about. Flynn had also learned she wasn't one for much small talk. That was also learned the hard way. Which made it rather odd she would bring something up and then drop it almost instantly.

She really was the perfect Lieutenant for Flynn. Where he lacked confidence in words, she held confidence. And where she lacked a calm mind, Flynn held that. They were two hafts of one body, a perfect combination for Captain and Lieutenant.

He let a sigh out of his timid body. When was the last time he had actually relaxed? He had been spending so much time trying to keep Yuri out of the chair that he had completely forgotten about himself. He couldn't remember the last time had had taken more than 5 minutes for himself.

He couldn't let it bother him right now.

What concerned him more was Sodia's hesitance to talk about the subject that was floating in her mind.

And Justice.

The blonde hadn't gotten a very good read of him when he was in the conference. The General, to Flynn, seemed to be hiding something, something that was common knowledge to everyone else. Flynn felt like General Justice had been mocking him rather than helping him. And that feeling Flynn had gotten when Justice left the room…

The blonde shook it off and sat up, "There isn't anything I can do about that right now."

He got off his bed and stretched, feeling every muscle in his body complain and strike dull pain into his nerves. Flinching, the blonde rubbed his sore neck, "I could use some down time, but I have to look up this General Chandler Vice."

The blonde left his room and made his way down the hall. He was headed for the library.

The halls were practically empty, save a few privates wondering the halls in search of any suspicious behavior. Flynn would walk past them in about 22 seconds.

What concerned Flynn was the fact that he hadn't even heard of General Chandler Vice. He recalled hearing about the family of Vice before. If the blonde had his ducks in a line, the Vice family was a prestigious family of skilled fighters. Each member of the family was conditioned from birth to learn skills and artes faster than anyone else could ever hope too. These fighters were taught to use multiple weapons as well as artes. They were crafted to be the ultimate weapon. Someone who would listen to instructions and fight whoever or whenever no matter the cost or reason.

To Flynn, it looked more like trying to create the perfect solider, but he wasn't about to try and shake that tree.

But Chandler Vice? Chandler was a boy's name, right? The blonde had honestly heard it both ways, but had always considered it more of a girl's name personally.

He knew that the current head of the Vice family was Brigadier General Thor Vice. A powerful man with massive features. Thor Vice's body was made entirely of muscle, making him an intimidating foe.

But even knowing who Thor Vice was still didn't give Flynn any indication who Chandler Vice could possibly be.

Flynn knew his best friend far better than anyone else did, and he knew Yuri wouldn't get along with just anyone. You had to have a certain chemistry to be able to work well with Yuri, and some big brute who's only purpose in life was to fight would not mix well with his purple-haired friend.

This was going to be a sticky situation, Flynn could already tell.

The blonde had only snapped back into reality when he noticed that the men hadn't passed him yet.

They had slowed their pace, taking cautious steps like one does while walking on ice. Their expressions had changed, showing timid ness and steadiness, fear and temptation. The two guards had almost stopped completely, making strange gestures to each other.

Flynn continued at his normal pace, trying to take his attention off the two guards. He had more important things to be distracted with.

It wasn't until he had completely cleared them that he realized his mistake.

He tried to turn around, but it was to late.

A dagger had been planted into his back.


	4. Disturbances

I must be the worst sport action writer in the world. I fail epically at it, so don't hate me. Anyway, as always i own nothing. well, i own the plot and my oc's, but thats about it. Like i always say, please read, enjoy and review! XD I also wanted to give a special shout-out to those who have been reviewing my story! XD in chapter 5 i will list you wonderful people by name! XD You are all wonderful people (even if you don't review) THANKS! XD

Chapter Four – Disturbances

The ball swooshed through the hoop, along with a mighty victory call from the crowd.

The game had intensified. Yuri could feel himself easily matched against the smoker. Yuri had grabbed the ball and was dashing down the court.

The smoker was not far behind.

"You said you didn't have the lung capacity!"

"But I didn't say I sucked at this game, did I?"

Yuri shrugged.

He placed the ball in his palm and slammed it into the goal. The smoker took the ball and began down the court again.

Yuri pondered how long they would be playing this game of cat and mouse. His feet took him in for a swipe at the ball.

Success!

Yuri had re-obtained the ball. He changed direction, his boots skidding against the concrete.

The two men dashed down the court.

The smoker had managed to get in front and block Yuri's ability to make a shot.

The two were dancing around the free-throw line in an endless engagement.

Yuri's feet stopped, and he threw the ball towards the goal.

It was a straight shot, almost guaranteed to make it in. Almost. The smoker intercepted the ball, and started dribbling back to his side of the court.

"Shit!" Yuri had been caught off guard.

He had to regain the ball.

The smoker shouted, "Time?"

One of the people watching the game spoke up, "30 seconds!"

The smoker asked another question, "Score?"

"Score is at 58-60"

Yuri had been counting the seconds since 30 was called, it had been 16.

He had to intercept the ball since he was 2 points behind.

Yuri caught up with the smoker at the haft court line, blocking his way.

The smoker tried to dribble past, but Yuri's defense was solid.

"Ten seconds!"

"Now or never," Yuri spoke.

The purple-haired man dove for the ball, snatching it mid dribble, scrapping his arms and regaining his footing.

"Five seconds!"

The smoker had made his way in front of Yuri, blocking Yuri from advancing father than were he stood.

Yuri had one shot left; he could throw it from the haft court line.

"What the hell…"

He made the shot.

The entire audience had focused all their attention onto the ball. It was a make-or-break shot. If it got in, Yuri would win the game by one point, if it missed, the smoker would win by two points.

Yuri felt like time was slowing down. He could see the ball swirling in mid-air, heading straight for the rim.

The ball hit the rim, bouncing upwards, spinning off the backboard and landing in the goal, just as time hit zero.

"Yes!"

The crowd went wild, cheers of all kinds radiated from them. Yuri did a victory lap around the court, giving high fives to everyone who had their hands out.

The smoker stood at the haft court line with his hands on his knees. He was attempting to catch his breath while using his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow.

As Yuri finished his victory laps, he jogged up to the smoker and patted him on the back, "Good game."

"Right back at ya."

The smoker hacked a little, taking in deep breaths to try and calm his lungs.

Yuri cringed, "You ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Never been better."

Yuri wasn't sure of that but he ignored it and re-tied his hair back, "Who knew basketball was so much fun."

"It can be a blast…" the smoker paused for a moment, his eyes fixed upon the distant crowd of people, "Why don't we go rest in the shade and get off this hunk of concrete?"

"Yeah, I bet some of these guys want back on the court."

The two men made their way off the courts and found a patch of shade at the side of the building. Yuri had never felt so rejuvenated in his life. All of the exercise had managed to clear his mind and his system. Of course, looking at the smoker gave you other ideas.

The smoker had collapsed against the brick wall. His breathing had scarcely slowed down which worried Yuri a bit. Yuri had never been around someone who looked so fit and was still so extremely out of shape. In the lower quarter, almost everyone was thin and well built. The tasks of the lower quarter simply demanded that you been in good physical condition, and as a result, very few of it's inhabitants smoked or drank. And besides, when it was a struggle to put food on the table, it was unreasonable to consider dumping your money into any addictions.

Yuri adjusted his back so he would sit comfortably on the wall. His eyes glanced at the smoker, "So, what is your name anyway?"

The smoker cracked a smile, "If I told you, I would have to kill you."

Yuri laughed a little, "You know I can't take you seriously, right?"

"Really?" The smoker obviously seemed shocked to hear that.

"Yeah, really. So, what's your name?"

"Eh…?" He closed his eyes and pondered it a while, as if considering what he would prefer to be called, "You can just call me Lou."

"That's a girl's name, isn't it?"

"So?"

"Whatever," Yuri decided to make it none of his business. If the smoker wanted to be referred to as 'Lou' then that was how it was going to be.

They sat in silence for a while. Words seemed to escape the minds of the two men.

Yuri began to think again. What was he going to do?

Should he try and make a brake for it or should he wait it out and hope Flynn or Raven were on the case?

Of course, it would be days or even weeks before Flynn or Raven were able to reach the ears of someone who had the power to get Yuri out of prison.

He didn't have the time to sit around and do nothing while his friends were playing "suck-up" with the highest-ranked member in the council.

"So, tell me about yourself," Yuri had broken the silence.

"Huh? About myself?"

"Yeah," Yuri motioned, "You're the only person in my cell I know absolutely nothing about."

"There isn't much to tell. I'm 30, I love machines, I hate mushrooms…"

It was all general information, but Yuri found it rather interesting to hear about. Lou was the first person Yuri could actually talk to inside of prison. The purple haired man was almost certain he would end up going insane due to the lack of human contact, but now that he had met Lou, Yuri could foresee his survival.

"I really don't have a fascinating life. There were some bouts of excitement when I was younger, but other than that, I'm your average Joe," Lou took a deep breath and held it in for a moment before letting it back out, "But you on the other hand, you're so famous it makes the commandant look like an upstart star."

Yuri grinned, "I am pretty famous, aren't I?"

"Infamous would probably sound better, you know."

"Yeah," Yuri's gray eyes peered at the sky, "I have quite the rep. Unfortunately, it's easier to make a name for yourself doing bad things than doing good things."

"That's true, I never thought of that."

Yuri grew distant for a moment, "I have a good friend who's in the Knights. He's the best man you could ever ask for, but he's ignored so much. He's done so many great things, but he's only a Captain, and he has no voice in the government."

"What a shame. But that's how it works."

"It shouldn't be…"

Silence passed between them again.

Lou was the first to speak, "I've counted 12 of them."

Yuri was confused, "12? 12 what?"

The smoker didn't speak for a few more beats, "12 guys."

"Thanks for telling me," sarcasm oozed from Yuri's voice.

"I guess I didn't make myself clear," His change of voice had caused Yuri's blood to freeze, "While we've been sitting here talking, 12 men have made multiple glances this way. Their eyes always fixed on you for a few short seconds before they've looked away again. Yuri Lowell, those 12 men mean to kill you."

Yuri only sat in shock and uncertainty. What was Lou trying to pull? Was this some kind of joke?

But Yuri knew that Lou wasn't lying. For just as Yuri turned his head to the crowd, 12 men were looking at him.


	5. Prison Break

FINALLY!!! I got around to putting up chapter 5. sorry to keep everyone waiting, and thank you for waiting. XD I got so sucked into this game I rented (Eternal Sonata, its a really good game. I highly recommend it, and if you've played tales of vesperia, some of the characters have the voices from that game. My fave character is Flynn in TOV and in Eternal Sonata, Allegretto, my fave character in that, is talked by the same guy who talks flynn. if that makes since) Anyway! As always, read, enjoy and review! THANKS!

A special thanks to the following people. Without their constant reviewing, this story would be incomplete! so thank you, OrangePotato, Chocomintkt, WildfireDreams, Cherryblossomrocks93, and RaeMina. You guys are the best! Of course, I love all who read the story and have added it to their favorites/update notice list! Thank you!

PS-sorry i haven't gotten to commenting on your reviews (curse me and my addiction to video games)

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Chapter Five – Prison Break

12 eyes bore into Yuri. It was only a second, but Yuri had seen it. The eyes turned away, acting as if they had never looked towards him before.

Yuri could feel his nerves tingle as if pens were being poked into his skin. His mind went into survival mode.

Questions filled his mind to the brim, how did Lou notice these people watching them? Was their something else Lou had noticed but failed to bring up? Did those people really intend to kill him? Was he going to die before he got out of prison?

Yuri turned his attention to Lou, who seemed completely obtuse to everything.

"Lou," Yuri tried but words seemed to fail him.

"They wouldn't think of making a move yet, so we still have time."

For some reason, this didn't comfort Yuri one bit.

"Did someone hire them?" Was Yuri's next question. He needed answers. Yuri knew he was infamous, everyone knew that. But hiring people to take him out in prison? That was a cheap blow. Maybe, if someone was indeed behind this, they wanted to make it a clean kill. Make it look inconspicuous by killing Yuri with poison or in a 'Jail Fight'.

"That's what's most logical."

"Ok…" Yuri wasn't sure what to say to that.

"We should move," Lou sat up, motioning for Yuri to stand up as well. The two of them walked across the grass and to the doors of the building.

When the two of them entered, Yuri felt the air thicken like syrup. He was practically chocking on the pressure in the air. He was paranoid now. His eyes followed the crowd as in-mates moved from place to place.

Lou made a turn, and headed down the hallways to the men's restroom.

Yuri hadn't really noticed how bad it smelled until his nose had graced the stench. He nearly lost his lunch when he entered the room.

The restroom would be able to push back anyone who dared to walk near it.

"Does it always smell this bad?" Yuri had to ask.

"Only after lunch and dinner."

Lou shoved himself and Yuri into the cleanest stall and waited for a moment. When silence was the only thing that the two of them could hear, Lou spoke,

"Ok, let me make this quick," Lou closed his mouth for a quick moment, letting the silence reverberate off the walls. Then, in an almost muted whisper he spoke, "I don't know who hired them, so don't ask. But I do know that those 12 men plan to put you out to dry tonight."

Yuri almost chuckled at Lou saying 'put you out to dry'. Seriously, Yuri thought, who says that anymore?

"These men are all working as individuals, but for the same person. Each of them will try anything to get close to you, and when that happens…"

Silence passed between the two of them again, "Bang," Lou finished.

"So what am I suppose to do about them? If I had a sword, I could take them down, but seeing as I'm weapon-less…" Yuri's words lingered for a moment, as if waiting for Lou to finish the thought out.

"Yes, yes, I've already thought about that. You and I are going to break out."

Yuri raised an eyebrow, "you and I?"

Lou nodded.

"No offense, Lou, but I hardly know you. For all I know, you're one of those guy's who is trying to kill me."

Lou's face showed puzzlement, making Yuri wonder if he had hurt the smoker's feelings.

"I hadn't thought of that one."

Silence again.

Lou spoke, "I guess you don't have to trust me, but I don't see how you plan on getting out without my help."

The purple haired man pondered this for a moment, "Magic."

"You can't cast…"

Yuri frowned, "I didn't mean that literally."

When Lou's eyes continued to show blankness, Yuri corrected himself, "I don't know how I'm going to get out of here. I guess I need your help."

Lou smiled, "I figured you would need-"

The door to the bathroom swung open, making Lou close his mouth promptly.

The man who walked in hummed a small tune. Yuri could see the man's shadow. It stopped in front of the sink, which made Yuri figure the man had battled through the stench just to check his hair. The shadow stayed there for a couple seconds more and then the sink turned on.

The water ran for what felt like forever, and Yuri began to feel extremely uncomfortable. He felt like he had been having a steamy make-out season with Lou when someone had walked in on them unexpectedly. Their bodies were practically touching, which only made it feel even more awkward.

The water stopped then and silence remained. The man was no longer humming, but he continued to stand in front of the mirror.

Yuri could hear Lou's breath freeze. Lou's eyes had changed, too. Yuri could see that he had become more aware, like something was about to happen.

The shadow of the man turned and headed towards the stalls. The footsteps were heavy and slow. Yuri could hear them scrape the tile of the bathroom floors as they approached the stalls.

What happened next was only a blur in Yuri's mind.

The stall door was ripped open, but Lou had already perceived this motion. Lou twisted his body around, planting his heel into the man's chin.

The man fell hard, landing with a sickening crunch, a small dagger skidding across the ground.

Lou dashed for the dagger.

The man rubbed his chin with one hand, and reached for the dagger with the other, but he stopped short.

Lou had grabbed the dagger and held it to the man's throat.

The man grumbled, "Damn, your fast."

"I've had a lot of practice."

Yuri was amazed at how fast Lou had actually gone. It seemed only a second ago Lou was standing in the stall, facing Yuri.

Who the hell was Lou?

The man snickered, "Seems you've had a lot of practice molesting younger-"

The man never got to finish his words. Lou had sliced the man's throat, blood squirting out and landing all over the tile.

Lou had been bathed in what the vein had let loose, but paid it no heed, "Seems our plan needs to be put into action now." Yuri nodded while stepping out of the stall. He watched Lou as he quickly turned on the water to wash his face and neck, "There's no way in hell we can be non-conspicuous now." The entire front of Lou's shirt was stained a brilliant crimson. It was extremely noticeable that Lou had just massacred someone or something.

Once Lou had dried himself off, he cleaned the dagger off as well, "I really didn't want to kill the guy, but he left me no choice."

Even if Lou was talking to himself, Yuri wasn't completely sure Lou had been left with no other option than to kill. But Yuri ignored it, shaking it out of his mind. Yuri was more concerned with the recent attack on him.

"So what now?" Yuri puzzled, stepping around the body to reach Lou.

"Well, this man made a strike," A brief pause, "so either he was told to do so, or he acted on his own accord."

"And?"

"We have to make our move, as I stated earlier."

The purple haired man wasn't comfortable with this idea, "I still don't have a weapon and how do you plan on beating security?"

"Jesus Christ, you ask more questions than a woman who just tested positive with herpes."

Yuri was taken back by that reference. What an awkward comment to make. In the purple haired man's mind, it just solidified the fact the Lou was one strange cookie.

"Look, you can use the dagger. It should do until we take on the security, then you can get a sword."

"And what are you going to do?"

"God, really? Questions."

Yuri shrugged, "Just don't die on me."

"Agreed," Lou spoke. He handed Yuri the dagger, and abruptly took Yuri's arm. The two of them headed out of the smelly bathroom and into the empty hallway. Far ahead of them they could see people scurrying away in the cafeteria.

Yuri could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. There were so many of them…

Lou didn't hesitate to begin. He took large strides, dragging the poor man behind him. As he reached the lunchroom, eyes began to follow the two of them.

"You're making a scene by walking around here, Lou," Yuri whispered, "Shouldn't we find a back way?"

"Nope, I know what I'm doing."

Before Yuri had time to protest, Lou had stomped his way up the nearest table, which demanded everyone's attention.

The crimson-stained shirt glistened in the artificial light. Lou shot a finger in the air while shouting at the top of his lungs, "Hey bitches! My friend and I are breaking out! If you are tired of being stuck in this smelly, suck-ish prison, then join me! All who break out with me will have their criminal charges cleared!"

Security began to move into position, but Lou was quick, "I am a personal friend of Commandant Alexia!"

Lou jumped off the table, as hell broke loose inside the lunchroom. Security was being tackled by almost all of the prison-mates.

"Good distraction?" Lou asked.

"Not yet," Yuri said. Now, Yuri was nervous. Lou said he knew Alexia. That would mean Lou worked for the Empire, which means that all of this was just a rouse to bring Yuri to the Commandant? What would anyone gain by doing that? But, on the other hand, Lou could have made the whole story up. The truth can always be bent and broken, it's not like Lou was likely to run into any of those guys again.

Yuri's thoughts were cut off as a man dressed in uniform charged at him. Yuri swung the dagger, almost striking the man across the face.

The man was ready, he dodged and the pulled out his sword. A quick side chop sent Yuri to the floor. The purple haired man swore under his breath. He wasn't use to fighting with such a small piece of metal.

But Lou was quick to act; he swung his knee under the man's sternum. The man hacked, falling backwards, but two more were there to take his place.

"So, security has caught up to us?" Lou spoke.

Two men charged at Lou. Lou gracefully dodged the crowd of men and set up to strike them in the back. With one roundhouse kick, he managed to make the two men fall to the floor, but that wasn't going to stop them.

One quickly regained his footing, and swung at Lou. The swords tip nicked Lou's arm as he pulled himself out of the way.

An opening occurred then, and the man took it; turning the sword quickly, smashing it into Lou's ribs.

"Crap."

The two of them stood suspended in mid-battle, both to shocked to move.

The other man with a sword swung hard a Lou. Lou removed himself from the other blade just in time to dodge the one coming at him. The other man flew past him, and Lou swung his heel into the other man's back, right at the end of his spine.

The other man howled in pain, loosing grip of his sword. Lou ran in front of the man and then kicked him in the stomach. This sent the sword flying.

The sword landed not two feet from the bleeding Yuri.

Yuri seized the opportunity. His hand slid onto the hilt. The weight was a little more than he was use too, but it was better than the stupid, little dagger he was using previously.

Yuri dashed to his feet, forgetting the wound in his side, and sliced at the back of the man's neck, right as he was preparing to go after Lou again.

Blood spurted, and the man fell dead to the ground.

Lou heeled the other man in the chin and he fell to the floor.

Thousands of men lay in front of them. This was just the beginning.


	6. Conference with a Devil

Chapter six is up and running and you should all be very very greatful! I'm going on vacation tomorrow and am not returning for a while. I decided to finish the chapter and publish it before i left so you all have something to read! XD so be happy! PLUS my birthday is friday. The best present you could all give me is tons and tons of reviews!!!! It would make my birthday if i came back from vacation and had tons of reviews to read through! so i'll make a deal, if the amount of reviews exceeds the age im turning on friday, i'll post two chapters at the same time by the second week in april! XD WHAT DO YOU SAY??? UP TO THE CHALLENGE??? don't ask how old i am, you will just have to review like mad to try and get over the age im turning! XD(ill give you a hint, its a major birthday! November is important) Good luck! and as always, read, enjoy and review! I own nothing (except everything i own. confusing huh?)

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Chapter Six – Conference with a Devil

The rain never stopped, often resting it's tired voice before roaring its comeback, but that didn't mean it stopped. Thunder rumbled and lighting began to stretch across the sky, bringing to light all the dark, dank shadows that plagued the streets.

His eyes were looking nowhere in particular when they landed on the castle.

The pearly white building still managed to have a shine to it. That shine reflected dully throughout the city. Spreading hope that the white walls would prevail and the storm would soon pass. He laughed at that, and then let his eyes wonder to the windows. The huge windows were stained with magnificent colors of purple and red, colors that represented the loyalty and the passion the Emperor had for his Empire.

Colors, he thought, he would never see again.

People say life's colors begin to dim as you get older. It's just a natural progression in life, is all. Life just looses its mystery and it's luster; things just don't stand out as much as they use too. You start to loose interest in anything that's going on, and by the end of it all, when you're ready to die, life has lost all of it's color. Just a screen playing in black and white.

Now, rather that was true or not? He wasn't quite sure.

But he could no longer see the liveliness those colors once had.

The beauty and majesty those colors would play on your eyes every time you were in their presence held no effect over him.

Perhaps it was the rain? Washing away the color like water does to paint while it's still fresh. Or perhaps it was the gray clouds that clung to the sky. Without the blue contrast, the purple and red simply looked dull and unattractive.

Or perhaps, it was as people said. Life looses its colors…

That meant he would eventually fall into a world of black and white…and possibly, slowly, he would even loose the white.

He would be trapped in a world of black.

There was nothing at first. Just a feeling that something just went terribly wrong. But then the pain set it, and he knew what had happened.

Flynn flung himself around, reaching for his sword. But to his surprise, he didn't have it with him.

The dagger left his back, only to re-enter through his lower left lung.

The small blade had dug through his rib cage and planted itself inside the blonde's lung.

Flynn could feel air escaping, he could feel pressure begin to build as the little blade pushed deeper inside of him.

He wasn't going to let this happen.

Flynn grasped the man's arm, yanking it out of his ribs and planted a knee into the man's chin. A cry of pain sent the man to the floor and the dagger clanging to the ground. Flynn made a stride for it, but the man's friend was ready to strike.

The other man pounced, shoving the captain to the floor just inches away from the dagger. Flynn let out a gasp of pain and the other man grinded his knee into the poor blonde's ribs.

The other man clutched the dagger in his hands, "you're just as fast as he said you would be," The other man smiled, showing off a row of teeth that had been shaven into little points, "to bad I'm faster."

Flynn grunted, attempting to push the man off of himself and regain the advantage.

The other man didn't miss a beat and dug the dagger into Flynn's right shoulder, making the captain scream in pain.

The other man simply smiled more, "yes, that's it. SCREAM!" The other man twisted the dagger in small circles, causing the blonde to cry out more and more.

Flynn wasn't about to beg for him to stop, but he sure as hell felt like it. The pain clawed at his core, ripping apart muscle and veins until there was nothing left to be ripped.

Flynn could feel his voice starting to cave in. His throat was being filled with blood as his lungs began to fill as well. He spat, red liquid covering his attacker's face.

That made the other man smile more, "do you want more?"

Flynn felt his mind freeze. He squeezed his eyes shut to keep back the tears. He couldn't take any more pain. He would pass out…and then what? Would the pointy-toothed fiend and his friend take Flynn to some ditch and kill him? Leave him to rot in the sun? Or did they have something else planned?

Flynn forced himself to think in the last seconds of sanity he had left. The pointy-toothed man had brought up someone else. Someone had said Flynn would be fast. Who could that be? It had to be someone who could get connected to crazy people like this. But not only get connected to them, allow them security to get them inside. The two men were even wearing uniforms. Whoever this was had connections and for some reason, wanted Flynn out of the picture.

But who?

The pointy-toothed man smiled as he began to drag the dagger down the captain's arm. It was slow going, he mad sure of it. He traveled through the blonde's bone instead of his flesh, sawing away the marrow that existed.

Flynn couldn't stand it. He couldn't take it.

Who would want this?

Then he remembered…cold air. Dark air. Flynn had felt something when he was with the generals. He felt uneasy, as if something was being kept from him. And the person Flynn had this feeling about?

The blonde began to scream louder, almost chocking on his blood. He didn't care anymore; he just wanted to have it end. He would beg, he would plead. He would get down on his hands and knees and confess everything he had ever done in front of God himself if it would only make it stop.

Then, it did stop. The pain stopped licking down his arm, it was still. It pulsed in one place, driving him crazy, but it wasn't moving anymore.

"You get to carried away."

Flynn recognized that voice. He tried to open his eyes, but the light stung them, and all he could see was red.

"Sorry, his blood is just so warm…"

That was the pointy-toothed man.

"Guards are coming. Take him with you and go to were I specified."

Where was that voice from? Flynn had heard it before…

"Awe, you're no fun. Can't I play with the guards while you take him away?"

The blonde could live with that plan. He didn't want that pointy-toothed fiend coming towards him.

"Go, I'll let you play later. After all, I feel our captain may need some 'convincing'."

Flynn felt fear serge through his body.

"Fine," Flynn felt his body begin to shift, "Come on, you worthless excuse for a partner, the boss has got it handled!"

Flynn felt his blood run cold. The boss was here? He had to force himself to see! The blonde struggled to open his eyes. Light stung them, the air stung them, everything scrapped against them like sandpaper.

But he forced himself to see something, anything that would tell him who was behind this. All he could see as his body was flung over the pointy-toothed man's shoulder and made his way around the corner of the hall was outline of a thin man with beautifully shaped shoulders and a slight curve to his hips accented with a waist that bent to the side with ease. And behind the man stood several knights, dressed in what Flynn could only see as three shades of red.

* * *

His entire body screamed from head to toe. The pain had sub-sided, but his muscles were sore and damaged. Flynn had long forgotten what it felt like to breath without coughing up more red. He would stutter in a breath, and it would come out in a liquid he thought he would have run out of by now.

But his body was also greeted with a different type of feeling. Cold. Absolutely cold. His wrists and hands were freezing. If he didn't know any better, he would say they were growing ice. His back also felt cold, like he had been taking a nap on a sheet of ice for the past hour. He had no idea were he was or why he was so dang cold!

The blonde tried to remember back.

Once the figure had left his sight, his eyes couldn't take any more pressure and had shut right away. But he had learned how to feel your way around a long time ago. And just because he hadn't seen the journey he was taken on didn't mean he hadn't felt it.

He had made mental notes of every time the pointy-toothed man had turned, slide and even stopped to assess traffic. The blonde had a map in his mind and he could find his way back to the castle once he got out, he would simply need to close his eyes and feel his way.

But that was a plan for AFTER he got out. He was still in this strange place that was so cold.

Did he dare open his eyes? Face whatever may be standing right in front of him? Perhaps it was that pointy-toothed demon waiting to see that the blonde was alive before he continued his torturous games. Or maybe it was nothing at all. Just the surroundings of where ever he was.

He had to take that risk. The blonde slowly opened his blue eyes. No pain greeted him, which was good. He continued, slowly. Once his eyes were fully open, he was almost shocked to see where he was.

A small stone chamber, on bigger than 10 feet in length. Flynn could now feel his feet suspended in the air. He managed to look up. What he saw didn't please him in the least. His wrists had been shackled to the wall and his entire weight was hanging from them.

Pain began to ooze back into place.

He forced himself to continue analyzing the room. It was no wonder he was so cold. He had been stripped of his uniform, left only in the black ankle-tight pants that went under his very tall boots. His torso was bare, giving his wounds some air but also forcing his skin to sit against the cold stonewall.

The walls were also wet. Had rain been falling recently? Was that why the walls were wet? Some kind of leak?

He wasn't for sure. If he remembered right, there wasn't supposed to be rain in the forecast at all, of course that didn't stop forecasts from being wrong.

That made sense then, why his fingers were so cold. The water from the wall, along with the cool, musty air of the room made him feel like he was in the artic.

He examined the rest of the room, ignoring the pain and the cold. He could see a small window, which let in very little light. Bars were over the window both vertically and horizontally.

So he was in some kind of prison?

His mind wandered, trying to match the outline of the person the pointy-toothed man had referred to as 'the boss' to someone he had met before.

The voice sounded so familiar, but he couldn't place it to save his life. The outline was familiar too. He had defiantly met that person somewhere before…If only he could have made out some color.

Three shades of red…so the uniforms had three colors? Or where his eyes playing tricks on him?

He couldn't be certain what he saw. He was in such a state of shock and pain that everything was fuzzy and without detail.

He couldn't even remember if the pointy-toothed demon really had pointy teeth. Flynn figured he did, but how could he be so certain?

He was in pain and he was scared. That was that.

Either way, rather it be true or false, it still gave him something to think about.

The blonde noticed how complex his thoughts were, constantly overlapping words, as if reiterating them to himself so he could better remember them.

"Ok brain," the blonde sighed to himself, "Shut up."

"Who knew you would be so cute…for a man."

The blonde stiffened up, "Why don't you show yourself?"

The pointy-toothed man walked out of the shadows cast from the small amount of sunlight that entered the room. The blonde decided to shake off the man's previous statement and cut right to the chase, "Where the hell am I? And who the hell are you?"

Poison seeped from the captain's words, but the pointy-toothed man didn't seem to care, "So many 'bad' words. You should watch your language…" A painful slap across the blonde's face sent Flynn into a spiral. Flynn felt his head spin as the freshly closed wounds began to shriek in pain.

The captain did his best to avoid screaming. He cringed at the pain, but forced himself to look as if the hit didn't affect him.

"You don't have to play 'Mr. Superman' in front of me, I know you're in pain."

The way the pointy-toothed man said that made Flynn feel like a child. This man was taunting him, but Flynn was careful with his words, "Yes, I'm in pain…"

The way Flynn phrased the sentence made the man smile. He obviously enjoyed watching people struggle, "So glad you can be truthful about it." He let out a laugh; it was on the edge of psychotic and demonic. It echoed through the small room, bouncing off the walls and landing right inside the blonde's eardrum.

Scary? The blonde thought so.

The man stopped laughing abruptly, "Why don't you tell me what hurts?"

Flynn could only imagine what was going on inside the demon's head. The blonde fought with himself over speaking or keeping quite. He kept quite.

The man spoke again, "Why don't you tell me what hurts?"

Again, Flynn kept quiet. If he could keep his distance from this man, maybe he would leave the blonde alone. He had to cling to that hope. Maybe the demon would loose interest if Flynn didn't play along?

"Why don't you tell me…"

A quick punch to Flynn's injured ribs made the blonde let out a small scream.

"Tell me what hurts?

"My ribs hurt," Flynn panted swiftly.

The man got closer to Flynn's face, "Is that all?"

The blonde felt his heartbeat quicken, "My wrists hurt too…and so does my shoulder…"

The man held his position for many more seconds before retreating, "so sorry to hear that."

Flynn doubted it.

"You must be hungry too," the man put his hand to Flynn's face, letting his fingers gently side down the captain's cheek, "aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Would you like me to get you something?"

Flynn was scared to know what that 'something' was.

"Yes," Flynn would rather face the consequences of saying yes then having a fist nailed into his rib again.

The man stopped caressing Flynn, "Ok then, I'll be right back."

The pointy-toothed man turned and left through a stone door Flynn hadn't noticed earlier. He closed the door with a slam, and a clicking sound echoed through the chamber shortly after.

He had locked the door.

Flynn felt his body relax. The captain hadn't realized how much his muscles had tensed throughout the conversation he held with the demon.

The blonde was a bit annoyed that none of his questions had been answered, but figured it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. He didn't need the pointy-toothed man to hit him again. Or caress him again.

Flynn shuddered, and not just because of the cold.

That man would return shortly, and hopefully with REAL food. He could feel his body nag as the blonde tried to adjust his hanging position.

He figured it really wasn't worth the trouble. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was sound asleep…

* * *

"Wake-up, my dear."

Flynn began to stir.

"I said wake-up, my dear," the voice repeated.

Flynn's mind began to force itself awake, and he jolted his eyes open. He wasn't pleased with what he saw. The pointy-toothed demon had returned, a large platter, which held bread and cheese, in one hand and a cup of water in the other.

Not exactly what Flynn had been hoping for, but he didn't dare say that.

"Good to see you're awake," the demon smiled, showing off his pointed teeth, "Well Goldie Locks, you seemed to be sleeping rather well."

Flynn simply nodded in agreement.

"I would hate to see you any other way, my dear."

The captain didn't like the way the demon said 'my dear'. Instead of sounding endearing, it sounded condescending and repulsive. He ignored that, however. No sense getting himself hurt worse if he could avoid it to begin with.

"Well, bossy came back and gave me the ok to feed you, so that's what I'm here to do."

The blonde's eyes glanced ant the bread and cheese. Then they journeyed to the water, "Not much of a meal, but thank you."

Flynn felt a chill run down his spine as he braced for impact, but impact never came. Instead, the demon commented, "It's better than nothing," he put the platter down on the ground, "and you're welcome."

The blonde almost dropped his jaw at the man's kindness, "yes, you're right."

The man stood back up with some bread and some cheese in his hand, "Well, seeing as you can't use your hands…"

Oh God. The blonde knew what the man was implying. Suddenly, the blonde wasn't very hungry, "You could just unlock me."

Confusion crossed the demon's face. "Unlock you?"

Flynn laughed nervously, "yeah, you know…just so I can eat…"

The demon wasn't laughing. In fact, the demon's face turned rather dark against the reds and oranges of the setting sun. When he spoke, his voice sounded lacking of any pleasure, "you want me to unlock you so you can eat?"

all of a sudden, Flynn wasn't so sure about what he said and quickly took it back, "Actually, no. That's fine. I'm actually fine with whatever you had in mind." The blonde brushed a shy grin across his lips.

The pointy-toothed man didn't seem amused; "you're fine with whatever I have in mind?"

Flynn was praying that this wouldn't lead him somewhere awful, "y…yes?"

An evil smile bore across the demon's face. The reds reflected off his teeth, making it look like he had just taken a drink of someone's blood, "Whatever I have in mind?"

He reminded Flynn of a shark. A demonic shark ready to devour his flesh and soul. One that lurks in the water for only a short time before rushing to the surface to ensnare it's pray. The captain couldn't let a simple word cross his lips as fear began to build inside of him.

When words failed him, the man spoke for him, "then open up Blondie, I can't shove this anywhere else."

The captain felt a twinge of fear, but realized he was talking about the bread and cheese. Flynn had no choice. If he was going to make it out of this alive, he would have to play by their rules. At least for now.

The blonde reluctantly opened his mouth, but shut it again when he realized he had a question, "Can you tell me who you are?"

A bold move, one he could surly be hurt for, but it was a move he had to make.

The demon didn't seem to mind, "I'll tell you what I can as long as you eat like a good boy."

The blonde agreed and opened his mouth to let in the first piece of bread. It was dry bread that flaked in the blonde's mouth, but it tasted better than the iron taste he had had since he coughed up blood.

The demon seemed to take great pleasure in passing pieces of bread and cheese into Flynn's mouth. But he didn't back off on what he said; he did plan to tell Flynn some information.

"My name is Florence…"

Flynn noted how utterly unthreatening the name sounded, but continued eating in silence.

"As for anything else about myself, it's rather boring. So, I'll cut to the stuff you would rather hear."

The blonde didn't complain.

"You're a 'guest' of my bossy, don't know his name so don't even ask. Anyway, My buddy and I were sent to take you down, but that didn't happen. The boss said you would put up a fight and that is exactly what happened."

Florence stopped for a brief moment, shoved a piece of somewhat dry cheese into the captain's mouth and continued, "Before I had the chance to slit your throat and drink that beautiful blood of yours, bossy came and told my and my buddy to take you back to base. Apparently, he's got plans."

The smile that crossed ear-to-ear on Florence's face caused Flynn to shudder. What 'plans' could someone have for Flynn? He was just a captain after all. It wasn't like you could put him up for ransom and expect someone to pay for him.

"I don't know what those plans are though dear, so don't ask."

Why did Florence call him 'dear'?

"So, like I was saying, he's got plans so he told me to take you and lock you down here. I stripped your clothes off, well, most of them, and kinda sorta mended your wounds," he gestured at Flynn's ribs.

"Oh," Flynn spoke between bites, "Thank you." Flynn could honestly say he didn't notice a difference from mended or not mended, but he kept to chewing his food.

Florence continued, "If you can stay up long enough, I'm sure my boss would love to come and see you. Or at least send his second in command dude."

"Wait, your not his second in command?"

"No, why would I be?" When Flynn didn't give an answer, Florence continued without a fuss, "So that's as much as I can tell you. Well, there is one more thing," His voice mingled off like a bell's sound after its been hit.

"What?"

The demon put down his platter and picked up the cup of water, "That from here on out your life will be a living hell."

Before Flynn could ask why, the cup of water was shoved to his mouth and he was forced to drink of it.

The blonde nearly drowned in the liquid as it descended his throat. As the last drops of water entered, he coughed it out, "you nearly drowned me!"

"Sorry, dear."

"Please don't call me that."

"Getting brave again, are we?"

"No."

A punch to Flynn's ribs set his mind on fire. The pain spread through every nerve ending, buzzing at the tips and slamming into his core. He let out an agonizing scream.

"As much as I know you enjoy hurting him, I would like to talk to him before he goes unconscious."

That voice! It was the same voice as the boss. Flynn had heard it when he was blacking out, and now, it was here.

The demon stood in the way of Flynn's view, "bossy, how convenient. Goldie Locks and I were just talking about you."

"That's nice to know."

Flynn couldn't place a finger on the voice. So pleasant, so sweet, it was a male voice, but he wasn't exactly sure who's.

The demon stepped out of the way, allowing Flynn to drink in the image of the boss.

Flynn's heart nearly leapt out of its chambers. He felt cold embrace his body as he saw the man who stood in front of him. He was tall and slender; beautifully build with a face that Flynn recognized all to well…


	7. Bashing Skulls

Chapter Seven is up! XD I had a great birthday (though i was sad that the reviews hadn't gotten very far. I don't think the rules were very clear either so it's not your guy's fault. In case anyone was wondering, November is important because in the united states, where i live, you can start voting when you turn the age i turned...can anyone guess what age i am now? Though i am honored that so many people thought i was in my 20's. XD) ANYWAY, a bit of cussing and violence, but nothing you guys can't handle! XD (always remember, in the original version, Lou drops the FBOMB almost every sentence...he's such a goober. XP) I'm in a good mood, in case people can't tell...XD Like always, READ ENJOY AND REVIEW!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

* * *

Chapter Seven – Bashing Skulls

Yuri was sweating now. His entire body was tensing and he could feel his muscles cry for him to stop. But he couldn't. Not yet.

Yuri slashed another man across the belly, red flying along with it. Yuri did a quick twirl and hit another man swiftly.

Within a matter of seconds, Yuri had taken at least 4 men to the ground, "Lou! This was a stupid idea!"

"You're complaining now?"

"Yes!"

Lou kicked a security guard in the groin and as he fell to his knees the man received a sideways kick to the head, "A little late for you to be complaining!"

Security guards were swamping the two men right and left. All around them shouts of agony and victory sounded. While some men were being sent to their grave, others were successfully taking down their opponents.

Lou and Yuri's backs hit each other and the two of them began to analyze the situation.

"See any of those hired killers?" Yuri asked as he flicked the blood off his blade.

"I see them."

"What do we do?"

"Take them down."

Yuri could feel the heat of Lou's back leave him as Lou took off into the crowd. Yuri thought about following, knowing his target lie not to far from Lou's fist.

The purple haired man could see Lou duck and weave through the mass of people as if they were not there. His motions were like fluid running through a pipe, fast and clean. He had never noticed how vibrant the man's moves were. They were so easy to see and yet so unpredictable…

He was snapped into reality again when he narrowly dodged a fist swinging downwards.

Yuri flung his skinny body to avoid the blow; his eyes, like venom, sprang towards the person who attacked him.

A burly man, muscles strong and head shaven, stood still in front of him. The veins of his arms bulged from the skin, and the barcode tattoo on the back of his head spelled out "Skull-Head". When the man spoke, glass broke at the massive volume of his voice, "Yuri Lowell," a smirk crossed his lips, "You're my target."

* * *

Lou's footsteps beat across the tile floor. His speed intensified as he came towards the corner of the hallway. His blood pumping, his heart racing….

He rounded the corner, using his hand to keep his balance, his feet barley touching the ground as he skidded around.

The hallway was empty save himself. Barred doors were beside him on each wall. The doors lead to cells he figured…the impossible-to-get-out-of kind. Solitary confinement.

A large door stood at the end of the white corridor. But Lou wasn't fooled for an instant. He could see the black camera's that sat at the top corners of the hallway. He knew he was being watched.

His feet drug him to a halt only 20 feet from the door.

Lou's destination sat in front of him, in the control bay. Inside, he could access all of the gates, doors and sirens. He would have complete control, and with it, he would put his final plan into action.

His eyes darted up to the cameras, catching a glimpse of the little blinking red dots that glowed on and off.

"You know there on, right?"

Lou didn't have time to turn around; instead, he leapt forward to avoid the attack from behind. A slice through the tense air resounded.

Lou turned himself around just in time to dodge another strike.

The blade was hot and fast, slicing the air around it while leaving visible cut marks in the ground and ceiling.

"No duh," Lou spat as he caught himself. His steal eyes glared into his opponents. Lou found himself a bit astonished at who he saw, "Didn't think they would send a girl like you to finish me off."

"It's hardly that, you know."

"Hardly what?"

"Finishing you off," her ruby red lips fell silent after that. She raised her sword, leveling it with her eyes.

"It's hardly finishing me off?" Lou shrugged, "Admit it, you're just pissed I got to Yuri first."

"You really think we care?"

"Sure looks like it to me."

She growled, "We could care less about who finishes off that little brat. All that matters is he's out of our hair."

Lou scowled but said nothing. His stance changed, showing he was ready for combat, "I wonder how much it WOULD bother you if I got to him first?"

"We shall see!" The woman charged, sword already ready to swing. Lou dodged, and countered with a kick.

She lashed back, barely escaping a blow to the stomach.

Lou didn't stagger; he pushed himself forward, lodging a fist into her face. She flew backwards but still managed to maintain a grip of her sword.

Landing on her feet, she flung herself back at him, metal smashing against Lou's shoulder. He grabbed the blade and twisted it.

She kept her grip firm, attempting to drag it deeper into his shoulder. Pain broke through his entire torso but he resisted, pushing it back while lowering himself to the floor and rolling away as she tried to swing back down.

He rolled onto his back and planted his foot into her knee.

"Damn!"

She staggered backwards, nearly loosing her balance. She held the sword upwards, "Ice I call upon you! Frost Bite!"

A huge sheet of ice soared from her sword. The clear crystals smashed into Lou and flung him to the huge door.

The ice began to freeze against Lou's skin and clothes, "Crap!"

The woman smirked, "All talk, huh?"

Lou struggled to ignore the chills the began to fall over his body, "You've always hated me…"

She walked forward, "Isn't that the truth?" Her hatred bled off her tongue as she spoke to him.

"Gonna finish me, then?"

She brushed her dark hair out of her face, exposing her red lips once more. Her elegance and beauty maintained even through the rough battle she had just encountered, "Oh dear sir, I plan too."

She raised the tip of her sword to Lou's chest, which was still covered in ice.

* * *

Skull-Head flung his meaty fist forward. Yuri did all he could do to dodge by rolling out of the way. He attempted a swift counter attack, but the meaty man caught it in his fist.

The purple haired man was surprised when no blood flowed from the cut the man now had on his fist. Was he that massive?

He pounded a fist into Yuri, covering his entire body. Yuri could hear the bones snap and crack as he flew through the crowd and smashed into a table that was covered with prisoners who had been cheering on the fighters.

The entire table fell over, people included, and crashed to the ground. Guards ran to the scene, but the meaty man was faster. He made his way to the fallen table and swung his colossal arm around. The guards that were unlucky enough to be close were thrown back like rag dolls.

"Stupid guards," the giant laughed. He used his enormous hands to pluck Yuri from the fallen tables.

Yuri attempted to shake off the pain as he was dragged up near the man's head.

Skull-Head grinned devilishly, revealing his yellow teeth, "Time to kill you and bring you back to boss."

Struggling to breath, the purple haired man tried to say some sort of insult to the big brute. Nothing, however, managed to leave his lips.

The giant began to close his hands around the poor boy's thin frame.

Yuri felt his ribs begin to move from their respective locations. He screamed.

Where was Lou? Wasn't he supposed to be watching Yuri's back?

He tried to feel for a sword, but his hands were lost in the skin of Skull-Head. Air became scarce in Yuri's lungs. As he breathed out from screaming, no air filed back in to take its place.

"You…stupid…" he screamed once more. Pain seethed through his mind

He could see his vision begin to black out. Was this the end, then? Was he going to die here? Like this?

Skull-Head closed his fists tighter as Yuri's voice began to escape less and less. Was this really it?

No! He couldn't die! Not here!

Yuri felt the grip slacken and he fell to the floor. He wheezed for air, coughing when he breathed to quickly.

"Sorry you got tied up in this."

Yuri recognized the voice, "Lou?" He turned his blurry vision upon Lou's back and nearly gagged as he did.

Not only was the world spinning but Lou looked as if he had just had his skin fried. Red blotches scattered over his arms and neck while black could be seen around his fingers. A sword was gripped firmly in his hands, making his knuckles show pure white against the black.

"L…Lou," Yuri tried but was cut off.

"Don't worry about the details," Lou spoke softly. He kicked the sword that lay on the ground towards the purple haired man, "Ready to take this brute down?"

Yuri wasn't feeling 100 percent but nodded anyway, "Let's go."

The sword firm in his hand as well, the poor man stood up next to Lou. It wasn't until then that he saw what Lou had done. The lights had been completely shut off, save the floodlights. All gates and doors had been unlocked, and no more people stood in the lunchroom. Yuri could see Skull-Head squirming about, cupping his right hand with his left.

Blood splatters covered the ground, and Yuri could see what looked like huge fingers off to the side.

"You've got to do this, I don't know any magic of my own."

"What?" As Yuri spoke, the giant began to recover. While still holding his right hand, he shuffled to his feet and growled with fury, "You demon! You cut off three of my fingers! Now you're going to pay!"

Lou seemed unfazed, "Use one of your most powerful strike-artes."

The purple haired man gasped, "Why?"

"Do it!" Lou's tone was harsh and unforgiving, motivating Yuri to do as he was told.

Yuri charged forward. He flung his sword back and spread his arms and legs, "DRAGON SWARM!"

The purple haired man did a few twirls in succession, throwing his sword against the enemy with each flip. Once he landed, he spun on his heel and did another flip in the air while slamming his sword into the opponent, "Destruction Field!"

Skull-Head fell to the ground but attempted to get up again. But the assault wasn't over. Lou ran up from behind Yuri and began to spin through the air, his sword hitting the giant every time he came around, "Dragon Swarm!". After that, he did a final spin and brought it down upon the man, "Destruction field!"

Yuri was in awe at how perfectly Lou had mimicked his moves. What had taken Yuri countless hours to learn, took Lou a few good seconds.

Skull-Head didn't move after that. His body continued to lay still and Yuri got the courage to go near it.

The brute was indeed not breathing. He had died due to blood loss and the overall attack power the two men had used. The purple haired man sighed, "He's dead, Lou."

Lou sighed as well, "That's good…"

Silence passed between them for many moments, both trying to drink in the stress they had just been through.

Lou was the first to speak, "We should head out before the prison guards decide to come back and look for any stragglers."

"Good idea."

The two men carefully headed through the mass mess that covered the ground. Tables, trays, silverware, empty cups along with there use-to-be contents covered the floor on all fronts.

Some bodies were left lying as well.

Yuri felt a bit of sorrow pass over him as he gazed upon the fallen people. Yuri had never enjoyed the thought of death and dying. He had seen it to many times in the lower quarter to ever wish it upon people…ironic…

"We're just outside of the capital, I can get you there if you like."

"Huh?"

The two men stepped outside; dusk already showing its colors.

"Aren't you done escorting me?" Yuri asked, feeling some annoyance cover his face.

"No. Did you forget that there are, like, 10 more guys still after you?" Lou was counting on his fingers and seemed surprised that 10 fit on all of his fingers and he didn't have to go to his toes.

Yuri did the math in his head. Lou had killed the one in the bathroom, and the two of them together had killed Skull-Head. "Ok, that leaves 10."

"Doesn't that scare you?"

"No."

"You're crazy!" Lou looked Yuri in the eyes, "They want to kill you! You didn't stand a change against that giant back there, and you want to go it alone?"

Yuri shrugged, "If all the people hadn't been there, I would have taken him down real fast."

Lou didn't know if he should feel angry or astonished, "You're a bit over confident, aren't ya?"

The purple haired man smiled, "Maybe." He stopped walking and looked towards the city. The night-lights had already turned on. The glow hovered over Zaphias with a certain majesty. It reminded him of how much he missed Flynn and the others; it had only been a few days, tops. But he found he was already missing the conversations he held with his fellow teammates and the conversations he held with his best friend.

"Confidence can win you respect, but it can't win you victory."

"It sure helps though, don't it?"

That caught Lou off guard. Yuri smirked and continued to walk, "Ok, Ok." Yuri blew the long strands of hair out of his face, "You can come, Lou."

"Yippy!" His cheer was violently interrupted by his hacking.

The purple haired man had nearly forgotten about Lou's smoking habits, "I bet you want some cigarettes, huh?"

"That would be fantastical."

Fantastical? At that moment, Yuri became convinced that Lou was the most unique person he had ever met.

* * *

It's the first time i've talked down here...XD I just wanted to keep everyone informed that i might be holding a popularity contest for my original characters (just for fun) I want to know what you guys think of my characters, so be expecting something like that around chapter 10! XD NOW THAT YOU'VE ENJOYED THE STORY AND MY LITTLE NOTE, PLEASE REVIEW!!! THANK YOU!!!


	8. Of Lies, Of Truths

I'M BACK! i'm so sorry for the extremely long wait! the end of the school year got really hectic! i had this huge project that needed to be done, and it was a presentation so i was practicing it all the time (it was over the history of assassins and btw i got a 97! XD) anyway, then summer mode kicked in( and my sister got me addicted to Criminal Minds (and Matthew Gray Gubler AKA Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds) and i was all like, i'll work on my fanfiction later, but finally later arrived and i finished it! i promise the next one will not take nearly as long! (scouts honor, even though i was never in the scouts...) Once again i am sooooooo sorry! As always, Read, Enjoy and Review! THANKS!

(Brief summary-Flynn is attempting to get Yuri out of prison. Yuri meets Lou who informs Yuri that there are 12 assassins after Yuri's life. So Lou and Yuri devise a plan to escape the prison to get Yuri back in town. During the escape they kill 2 assassins, and Lou encounters a mysterious woman whom the fate of has not been revealed. Flynn, on the other hand, was attacked and taken to a small cell. He has no idea where he is or why he's there. He meets Florence, a sick creepo who wants to make Flynn suffer. Florence shows an interest in Flynn's blood, and often refers to Flynn as "dear". When we left Flynn, he just met the mastermind behind his kidnapping. And when we left Yuri, Lou and him had just left prison. Fantasitcal? i think so)

* * *

Chapter Eight – Of Lies, Of Truths

By the time the two men had reached the plains that stretched before Zaphias, night had blanketed them. The darkened sky held no stars due to the enormous glow of the city. Cold air began to tickle them,

"We should stop."

Yuri rolled his eyes, pondering if he had actually made the right decision back at the prison. Yuri knew that Lou was strong but having to listen to 'we should stop' every other minuet was starting to annoy him.

"We should-"

"I know," Yuri spoke before Lou could finish his sentence, "But why? Zaphias is on the horizon so if we keep walking we can make it by daybreak."

"It's easier to ambush us if we are walking in the dark."

The purple haired man had to admit his friend had a point, "Ok, ok. We can set up camp right here."

"Do you know if there is any way to make a fire out here?" Lou pondered as he made himself comfortable on the ground.

Smirking, Yuri sat down, "It's a giant field."

"So?"

"So there are no twigs, branches, trees or houses to catch on fire."

Silence passed between them as well as darkness. The chilling wind rippled the grass in front of them, casting unreasonable shadows and figures by the moon's light. Yuri watched the grass as it danced in front of him, captivating his imagination for a while.

The smoker spoke up, "so two are dead."

"Yup."

"10 are left."

"Seems so."

Lou laid himself upon the grass, letting the wind blow his prison uniform, "The generals are involved."

"Why?"

"Don't know."

"You said you were a personal friend of Alexia, didn't you?"

Lou stayed quiet at that comment.

"So it IS true."

"More or less."

Yuri let the wind blow those words away. So he was dealing with someone who knew Alexia. That probably meant Lou was only staying with Yuri to do a job. And that job would be bringing Yuri in. But just like before, the purple haired man couldn't see a connection between bringing him to Alexia and being in prison. With one swoop of the commandant's mighty hand, he could have Yuri taken out of prison and in a lavender colored room with butterfly decorations on every wall sitting at a white picnic table as Yuri played 'tea time' with Alexia complete with green tea and tiny turkey sandwiches, hold the mayo, extra mustard. Alexia was that powerful.

So why go through all the trouble?

"I'm not working with him."

The swordsman looked at Lou, "I know". Hesitation was clear-cut in Yuri's voice.

"No, you don't."

Yuri lay down next to Lou, immediately feeling the smoker's body heat. This warmth made Yuri feel the undeniable urge to snuggle. He and Flynn use to snuggle all the time when they were kids. Zaphias has seasonal weather so when it got cold, the two boys would cuddle together for warmth.

The smoker let out a long sigh, then hacked, then said, "When we get to the capital, that won't be the end of this."

"Why not?"

"12 men have been hired to kill you. We've taken out two, one in the bathroom and the other on our way out of prison. That leaves 10."

Yuri shivered at the memories, "so you don't think those 10 men will give up and go home?"

"If it were that easy, I would be in that career."

"So what career are you in?"

Lou stopped.

More awkward silence juggled between them. The silence was then accompanied by Lou's hacking as he whiffed up another breathe of air before releasing it in violent waves of oxygen.

Deciding to dodge the question seemed to be the only way to end the silence. "You're a heavy smoker." Yuri's words came out sounding more like a statement and less like a question.

"Yup," did Lou care to elaborate?

Yuri could feel the waves of heat leave him as Lou stood up. Lou let the wind whip around the tacky looking uniform, which clung pathetically to his skinny body.

Lou glanced around, making Yuri feel nervous.

When Lou spoke, his voice was as cold as the wind, "Yuri, I need to tell you something."

* * *

"Don't look so shocked, Captain Flynn Scifo."

"You…" Flynn nearly lost his breath as the word came out of his mouth. The way that man said 'Captain' would always bother Flynn, making him want to shrink away as if to become invisible. "Of course, if I remember correctly, you want me to just call you Flynn."

The man traced a gentle, slender finger along the stone wall adjacent from Flynn. The man's ice blue eyes contrasted harshly with the dissipating orange and red backdrop the sun, not so long ago, had been providing. A yellow glow was beginning to take over. Did that mean, wherever Flynn was, he was close to a city?

"Flynn," the man's sweet voice cracked the silence that had formed, "Do you know what you can do for me?"

The blonde hesitated to answer, "No."

The man simply laughed, his voice echoing and bouncing. "You wouldn't know, would you?"

For some reason, Flynn didn't find this funny. The blonde's eyes traveled over to Florence, who seemed to be absolutely bored out of his mind with the conversation.

"Captain Flynn Scifo, the most famous Captain to ever exist. Helper to the poor, nurse to the sick, guide for the lost, fighter for the fair; you're an everyday Robin Hood, a real hope for the people."

"I don't see where you're going with this."

"You're the type of people who make me sick," the man seemed to spit the words out of his mouth. His hatred could be felt throughout the entire room.

"What are you getting at?"

"What am I getting at," the man put it as a statement, "What I'm getting at, Flynn Scifo, is the total destruction of the government. A complete and total destruction." His voice cracked. The man had clearly lost it. What had happened to the cool and calm exterior Flynn had seen just moments before. What had happened to the whole persona Flynn has seen played before his eyes back in the conference room?

"You've lost your mind."

The man straightened up, relaxing his shoulders and giving Flynn a hard gaze, "Flynn, you are going to help me destroy the government."

Florence grew a grin across his face. The idea obviously entertained him, though he said nothing.

"What makes you think I'll help you?" Flynn had no idea where all this bravery was coming from. It was only moments ago he was cowering in fear of the demon and his wrath. Now, The blonde was going head strong against his opponent.

"I don't think, I know," the man walked over to Flynn and grabbed his chin roughly, forcing the poor blonde to look straight into the man's icy blue eyes, "I sent 12 men out to kill your friend, Yuri Lowell," Flynn squirmed at that comment, "I know him and that bastard he's traveling with have managed to kill two of them, along with injuring a personal assassin of mine in the process."

"I hope they all suffered," Flynn growled.

"News flash, Yuri and his little friend are still outnumbered. The two they managed to kill were weak and stupid. They didn't think they could lose."

Flynn wasn't about to give up hope, "Guess what, news flash, the rest are weak and stupid too."

The blonde spat in the man's face, causing the man to real back.

The man was angry, "you sick little-" The man raised his hand, as to strike Flynn. But with a second's hesitation, he lowered it.

The blonde was almost sure he would get smacked around for that one. But when Flynn met the man's eyes, he knew what was up.

"You know what, Flynn Scifo? I'm not going to hit you, I'll let Florence take care of that."

The demon bared his fangs with glee. He couldn't help but find the proposal of beating Flynn to a pulp invigorating.

Florence spoke, "I would gladly rough my dear up a bit."

'Dear' again. Flynn couldn't tell how beating someone up was a sign of endearment.

"Then do so Florence, I'll come talk to him once you have him broken."

The blonde began to panic as the man turned to leave, "No!"

"What?" the man was toying with the blonde. But the captain was left with nothing else but pleading. He couldn't let himself be taken down by this man or by the demon that lurked right beside him.

"Please don't leave me in here with him."

"Don't like his company?"

Was that supposed to be a stupid trick question? "No," the blonde tried to sound as sincere as possible.

"I can't keep you anywhere else, but I suppose I can rid you of Florence for a while."

Flynn didn't speak; scared he might cause the man to take back what he had just said.

On the flip of a dime, the man's complete composure changed.

"There are 10 men left, Flynn Scifo. Yuri Lowell will not live for much longer," the man's smile was cunning yet elegant, liked he had smiled that very smile a hundred times.

The man stretched out his arms, "You are the final piece of this puzzle Flynn Scifo. When Yuri Lowell dies, you will have no choice but to surrender. And when you do, the entire government will be taken over by me, you and the rest of us."

The rest? Flynn couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could the rest of them be involved too? Is that what he meant by a personal assassin? How could the entirety of them be involved, but no one, no one, knows. Was everyone blind? Was he blind? He must have been, just like everyone else is right now. Flynn was the only person in the entire world who knew what these people were up too, and he was trapped, locked, chained in a cell that he could not identify nor recognize.

Flynn Scifo knew a dark secret. It was the Generals who would take over the entire government, completely destroy it, cascading the world into a total anarchy. And General Justice was leading the front.

* * *

The silence was broken when Lou spoke, "My name is not Lou."

Yuri wasn't to shocked by that. He had always thought 'Lou' was a strange name for a man. "Then, what is you're real name?"

The two were interrupted by the sound of crunching grass coming from behind them.

Lou spun around quickly, diving in front of Yuri just in time to take a fast blow from the enemy.

"As if things couldn't get any worse." Lou's voice was hot with anger.

"So you've been hiding amongst the grass? Not a very good hiding place."

Lou spat, "Aren't you a little out of your league, fatty?"

A Huge man, nearly 8 feet tall imposed in front of them. His massive body nearly hid the entire glow of the moon behind him. His gigantic face was blanketed with darkness, save his eyes, which perturbed from his head. What was left of the moon's beams smashed against the white of his eyes, making them stand out fresh.

Yuri could honestly say he didn't recognize the guy. He reminded Yuri of Skull-Head; only this guy seemed to be smarter.

The huge man simply grunted at Lou's off-handed comment, "You don't have any right to speak to me that way. After you disappeared for 10 years, you would think you would have gained some manners, but I see you're as silver tongued as ever."

The purple haired man had to ask, "Lou, do you know this guy?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Yuri was a bit stunned, "Then who is he?"

"He's General Tao, Head of Naval Protection. He guards the oceans around Illicya."

"General…" Yuri had only heard about them from Leblanc whenever Yuri had gotten himself thrown in prison. Now he finally got to see one in person.

"I'm surprised you remember me. Like I said, it's been 10 years."

"10 years would never be long enough to forget your ugly mug."

Tao only sneered. Yuri could feel his pulse begin to race. So this was all about Alexia. He wanted to take Yuri down by whatever means necessary, even if that meant calling upon the strongest Generals in his arsenal.

"I'm going to kill you Yuri Lowell," the calm in Tao's voice was unreal, "And then I'm taking you back with me, General Chandler Vice."

Yuri's eyes flew towards Lou. The words General Chandler Vice didn't even faze him. He was clearly familiar with the name.

So that was it. That was the connection to Alexia Lou had mentioned. Lou wasn't Lou. He was a General, and not just any General.

General Chandler Vice.


	9. Showdown

OK! chapter nine is up and running! sorry for the small wait! XP im on vacation right now, so that's been fun, but it has also made it so i can't type. XC sorry it there are sentence fluency errors...the only time ive been able to type is in the morning and my sisters have the tv on. I, sadly, don't have the ability to selectivly hear, so i can't hear my thoughts while im typing over spongebob squarepants...my sisters are 18 and 20...yes, they are weird. (its a family vacation.) XD so, sorry for any of that. And i figured i would bring to everyone's attention that Chandler Vice is important because he was the General who was suppose to put Yuri under house arrest. Chapter 1 and 3 is where that is brought up...sorry, i forgot to mention that in my summary last chapter. XD thank you all! As always, read, enjoy and REVIEW! XDXDXD

* * *

Chapter Nine – Showdown

Old stories and myths often spoke of a warrior who fought during the Great War. He was said to be as cunning as he was strong. His wits were only matched by his sense of justice and his fierce determination. Those who followed him would never betray him. And those who opposed him would forever fear him.

Yes, they were just stories, but Yuri knew who they were talking about.

General Chandler Vice.

A man who fought in the Great War and is credited with clearing out the Entelexeia strong hold under Mt. Temza.

Of course none of it was ever confirmed or denied but after the Great War, General Chandler Vice disappeared for years, never showing his face. Some said he died. Others said he went into hiding because he felt ashamed for what he had done.

One thing was for sure, if this was Chandler Vice, Yuri was in a lot of trouble.

Tao didn't hesitate to continue speaking, "It's time for you to die, Yuri Lowell."

Before Yuri could force himself to focus, Tao's huge, meaty body was coming down on him.

Chandler reacted faster than Yuri, and pulled Yuri out of the way.

"Can you focus?" Chandler shouted, "If he sits on you, you're dead!"

"Can I be sure I can trust you?"

Chandler rolled his eyes, "You've been questioning your trust in me since we first met…" Tao moved into position for another strike, "We can talk about it later."

Yuri had no time to argue for Tao unsheathed an axe. A huge red sheet of metal, similar to a butcher's knife with a hook on the end, was revealed. It was massive, spanning the General's height and nearly a third of his width.

"He's big but he's fast. That weapon of his can cut through someone like butter, if he gets that hook around you, you're dead," Chandler nodded at Yuri.

Tao's eyes grew cold and he charged them.

He swung his meaty arm back and smashed the axe upon the ground. The boys ran in opposite directions as the ground behind them began to fall.

The force of Tao's hit caused tremors, knocking Yuri off his feet. He was already having a hard time with dealing with his previous injuries, being knocked off his feet didn't help. He scrambled to get back up as Tao began to charge him.

The axe came down, Yuri rolled out of the way, nearly getting sliced in two.

"Don't think you can run!" Tao bellowed as he ripped the axe from its position and snagged Yuri with the hook.

Pain blurred Yuri's eyes as he rolled out of the axes grasp just before Tao lifted it into the air, which would have surely ended his life.

Collapsing to the ground in a pool of his own blood, Yuri could feel his body surging with pain. Tao must have sliced him up pretty good for this type of pain to be present.

"Yuri!" Chandler's voice came.

Or was it chandler's voice? Yuri could feel the pain vanish as his brain put him to sleep.

* * *

Chandler found himself in one of the worst situations he could possibly be in. Behind Tao's massive body Yuri's body was bleeding to death.

The slice in his skin was deep, spanning his back. From this distance, Chandler couldn't tell if the strike had cut through Yuri's spin.

"Well, now that that little pest is out of the way, how about you go back to the Capital with me?"

The question was more of a demand.

"You really think I'm just going to bow down and go with you?" Chandler could feel anger begin to fill his body, but he resisted.

Don't get angry.

That's exactly what he wants.

Tao smiled his broad smile and spoke, "The Commandant would be happy to have you back."

It's exactly what he wants, "Right. If he wanted to have me back he wouldn't have jammed me in that cave with those bitch'n mechanics."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Tao claimed innocence.

"Maybe you don't," a sinister volume entered his voice, "But your Commandant does."

Words didn't pass for minutes, at which time Chandler was gravely concerned with Yuri's condition.

Tao finally grumbled, "If you will not join me and the other General's in our reclaim of the world, then I am forced to kill you."

Tao seemed sad about that fact, but Chandler didn't have time to feel sorry for him, "Bring it on."

Tao raised his axe and swung it at Chandler. Chandler dodged and leapt into the air, kicking at Tao's head.

The rouge General managed to scrap the giant's eyes as he kicked, sending Tao whirling back.

Chandler landed and held his body still.

Tao regained control of himself and glared at Chandler, "You little bug, you'll pay for that." Blood was dripping from under Tao's closed eye.

"Sorry big boy, did I give you a boo-boo?" Chandler mocked, only making Tao angrier.

Tao raised up his axe once more, "Demon Fang!" He slammed it down and rays of light spanned from it in all directions. Chandler held position, "Barrier!"

The light smashed against the barrier and snaked around it, leaving Chandler unharmed.

"Now's the time to get serious, Tao," Chandler shifted his arms in front of his body"Tractor Beam!"

Large Green rings appeared around Tao, carrying him upward. Chandler ran to position himself right beside where Tao would land.

"Of Heaven and Earth where my angel did die, I call upon the fire that brought you down! Hell fire, burn me a sword!"

Chandler's entire right arm burst into flames and a sword made of hot coal appeared in his hand.

Tao fell, his massive body tumbling to the ground.

Tremors rumbled through the earth but Chandler held himself steady, "It's time to get serious!" He slammed the coal sword into the side of Tao's belly.

Fire ran down the sword, engulfing the fat man like a marshmallow. He began to scream violently, rolling over in Chandler's direction in an attempt to put the flames out.

Chandler moved accordingly, keeping a careful eye on where the burning General may head towards.

Flames brushed the grass, luckily not catching a single green blade on fire.

Running towards the burning General, the rouge slashed the sword into his opponent again.

Tao didn't even flinch at the wound, letting the crimson liquid flow into the fire.

Tao's screaming was suppressed to mere moans as Chandler stood and watched the man burn alive.

"I'm doing the right thing…" He didn't sound so sure of himself.

The red glow reflected off of Chandler's pale skin, highlighting the patches of red and black on his arms. Softly, he caressed the delicate burns, noticing he wasn't feeling anything while he touched it.

The body continued to burn, and the rouge continued to watch.

Chandler could hear things repeat in his head. Old commands, old laws, and things he use to go by. He could distinctly remember all the times he committed the ultimate sin and didn't even flinch as he did it. All of those people, who didn't seem like people when he killed them…the kritya.

He shook his head, "What am I thinking…"

The coal sword had long since disappeared, leaving his right arm completely burned.

"Of Heaven and Earth, where my angel did die, I call upon the crystal that once brought you life. Heaven's Tear, drown me in ocean."

Water began to appear around Chandler, swirling as if it possessed a life of its own. Chandler moved his arms to direct the water, having it swish and twist against the air to hit Tao dead on, extinguishing the flames instantly.

Tao groaned, lying still.

Chandler dispelled the attack and walked over to Tao, "Don't think I'm showing you any mercy. This doesn't mean I'm going back with you. Neither you or Alexei."

Tao hissed under his breath, barely comprehending what the rouge was saying.

Chandler headed over towards Yuri, who had stopped bleeding.

The ex-General looked over the cut, examining every inch, "It looks like things are doing ok…"

A yellow light began to appear around Chandler, and then around Yuri, "First Aid!"

The wound began to close up, healing to a much more stable position. Chandler sighed, releasing tension from his muscles, "well, the capital is only a few miles away. I guess I'm stuck carrying you…"

* * *

"…_And before you, I shall appear victorious. I will have conquered all there is to conquer, and I shall bring to you the most precious gem to be found on this earth, the heavens and all the underworld. This I promise, for you are the path I have chosen. And for you, I can brave any sea, any storm and any foe that may present itself to me. Wait for me, for I shall only return when I have accomplished these things…"_

The young girl put the book down to wipe a tear away from her eye. These types of things always seemed to make her cry.

"Shall I continue reading?" She looked to see that the person she was reading to was already fast asleep.

"Oh, Karol…" she patted his hair gingerly, set the book aside and stood up, "I guess I'll have to get Raven to carry you to bed."

She smiled at the pleasant thought. She headed towards the door, dimming the lights a little to help the tween sleep.

She closed the door with the utmost silence and began down the hall.

"Lady Estellise!"

The pink haired princess turned around to see a knight dressed in blue and white. She recognized right away that he was one of Flynn's knights, "Yes?"

"I hate to bring this news now…" the knight seemed hesitant to speak so Estellise urged him, "Go on."

"Well, it's about the captain…"

"What about Flynn?"

"He…he went missing a while ago and…"

Estellise was aware of Flynn's mysterious disappearance, "and?"

"We found his body. He's dead."


	10. A Dead Man's Secret

WOOHOO! CHAPTER 10! this is offically the 10th chapter of "On the Brink". I want to thank all who have continued reading it to this point! It's been a long road, and the road is longer still! XD I want everyone to know that this is a great fanfiction which is only made possible by those who read it. without you, it would have ended early. **(btw, this is not the last chapter**, though this authors note is making it sound like it...XP). This chapter is extra long just for all of you guys! (14 pages on word) XDXDXD

It's poll time! I want to know who your favorite character and least favorite charcter are! XD **ANYONE CAN PARTICIPATE!** I would love to know who you like and who you dont like! XD Here are the contestents! General Chandler/Lou, General Justice, General Asera, General Flanoir, Florence, Skull-head) you may include other characters as long as they are original! XD those are just ones i can list off the top of my head...XD so please leave a comment or send me an email to let me know your answer! i shall post the results next chapter! XD (choose a favorite character and least favorite character please!)

I want to dedicate this chapter to a very special dog. She was pure joy to me. She could always make me smile, always make me laugh, and she will always be in my heart. Rest in Peace, Scooby. You were a good friend till the end. (I will always remember June 23rd).

Read, Enjoy and review (and also vote)! Thank you! XD

* * *

Chapter Ten – A Dead Man's Secret

She could feel her heart stop.

All at once, everything went silent and cold. She shuttered at the thought. "Dead?" the word fell out of her mouth, sounding unnatural to her ears.

The knight hardly nodded as a reply. He was staring at his feet, scuffing the ground.

Estellise felt her knees give out and she fell to the floor, losing the will to even stand. She could barely hold herself up, her arms continually buckling as she sobbed.

The knight ran over to her, "Lady Estellise!" He patted her back affectionately; trying hard to comfort the distraught princess, "I'm so sorry…" was all he could think of to say.

Estellise put her face to the man's chest, weeping into it to muffle her sadness.

How? How could he be dead? People go missing all the time, but that didn't mean someone took Flynn did it? Someone took him and…?

The thought made her cry harder.

Her bedroom door opened and a little boy, no more than the age of 12 walked out, scratching at his brunette hair, "Estelle? What's going on? I hear crying…?"

He glanced to see the pink haired princess using the knight's shirt as a mop for her tears, "Estelle!"

He ran over to her, hugging her tight. He wasn't sure why she was crying, but he knew that she needed comforting. Bad.

"Oh Princess," the knight whispered. He knew he was powerless in this situation. All he could do was hold her in his arms and attempt to comfort her. Sudden, her voice muttered something through his shirt.

"Did you say something?"

Estellise, quietly and as calm as she could, spoke, "I want to see him."

"Are you sure? I don't think you should right now…"

"I want to see him!" she was even surprised at the sound of her voice, "I'm sorry. Please, let me see him."

* * *

Cold, blue eyes were staring up into the sky, glancing at the gray clouds that were gathering. His body was pale and his hair a mess of blood and blonde. He was laying upright, uniform stained with crimson, dyed permanently, never to be blue or white again.

His hands were sliced up, covered with defensive wounds.

Estellise knelt down beside his body as knights moved away from the scene. She looked into his empty eyes, glassed over and full of nothing. She could see them clearly, the once bright and crystal clear blue eyes he once had. The way he would smile and laugh.

She could remember the way his face would light up whenever he was talking about his ideals. The pride he always had for himself and his team, his brigade.

Flynn was determined, strong, brave and more importantly, kind. He was constantly looking after his friends, and always looking after her. She was so important to him. And he was important to her…

Being careful, as if not to wake him from sleep, Estellise placed her hand on his. It was cold. The heat that had once existed had been erased. Tears began to stream down her cheeks once more and she didn't try to stop them.

Karol stood in disbelief, "How could this happen…to Flynn?"

She placed her head on his chest, imagining that there was still something beating, making a sound that would mean he was still here, that this was some kind of joke.

Tears fell from her face and onto the dead captain's clothes; "Flynn…" a muted whisper escaped her lips. Her back began to jerk as her tears were forced out of her body.

"Lady Estellise," Spoke the guard who had brought her.

Karol could only stare in utter silence, simply listening to Estellise cry on and on. He looked at the ground, covered with speckles of blood "Yuri…Where are you…We need you more than ever now…"

* * *

Despite the fact that Yuri was heavier than first thought, Chandler was making pretty good time. The darkness was completely covering. He had been walking for nearly 4 hours, and barely any headway had been made.

"Good Lord, when you wake up, you're going on a diet…or I'm lifting weights, 'cuz you're heavy."

Stopping to catch his breath, continuing, stopping to catch his breath, continuing, he was in the continuing faze, meaning he would have to stop and catch his breath soon.

"God is sucks to be a smoker…"

He kept up his pace, occasionally slowing to look behind him. Tao was long lost in the darkness, which Chandler didn't mind in the least.

Why had he spared the poor smuck? Was it simply because he had lost his knack after the Great War?

During the war, he had killed so many innocent people. And it wasn't because they could pose a threat later; it was simply to show he could. To show that he and the Imperial Knights had power over their lives, that they could end it on a whim.

And he did. Every time.

Of course, being a good little army boy only gets you so high...If you don't learn to be completely obedient, then you're no good to the Empire.

He had defied his orders, spared that girl…But it came at a price. He lost his rank of Commandant and fell under Alexei. And Alexei did what Alexei does best; knock other people under the bus.

For 10 long, agonizing years, Chandler had to hide away, looking for something that probably didn't even exist. Something that no one except the highest ranking knights would ever know about.

10 years…a lot happens in 10 years…

"Lou?"

Chandler almost didn't react to the name, "Oh, Yuri?"

"Eh…"

"Good to hear you're awake, buddy."

"Eh…"

"Well, that's good to hear," Chandler could tell that Yuri wasn't operating on 100 percent. But he was alive. That was the most important thing.

"Don't worry, Yuri. We'll be in town by sunrise."

* * *

The sun didn't shine due to the clouds and rain. Exhausted from lack of sleep, she pulled herself out of bed and went to get dressed. Her hair was a mess as well as her thoughts.

She found a white and pink dress to wear and pulled it on. She didn't even bother to straighten it out from its crinkliness.

Her brush stayed flat on the vanity and any make-up she would have put on stayed in its container. Even if she did put it on, she would only cry it off through the day. Her heart ached and so did her eyes and throat. Was it even possible for her to cry any more than she already had?

Maybe if she didn't think about it, the tears would stay away long enough to get her through the day. Of course, come tonight…

She shook her head, not letting the thoughts get to her.

A knock came at the door.

"Estellise, you ready to come out?" it was one of her maids.

By now, the entire castle and town knew of Flynn Scifo's death. Everyone was in mourning, not just her. She had to remember that. She had to stay strong, not only for herself, but for her entire country as well.

"Yes," her voice. She hadn't heard her voice since yesterday. The once elegant and caring voice she had was washed away with all of her tears, leaving it empty and monotone.

Deciding to ignore it, she walked out of the room. The maid said nothing about her lack of elegance, which Estellise much appreciated.

She would finish her morning duties and then find everyone. She had to talk to them about this situation.

"Has anyone heard from Yuri?"

Silence once again filled the room. He couldn't say he wasn't trying to start a conversation. He waited a few more ticks of silence, "Does anyone know where he was headed?"

He had some idea, although he was keeping it from everyone. He had heard down the chain of command that Yuri was being taken to prison. And although he had groaned at the idea and worked as much as he could to try and figure out if it was true or not, he had come up completely empty.

"Raven…" Karol's shaky voice barely reached the old man's ears, "How are we going to tell Yuri about…"

Raven couldn't let the kid subject himself to saying it, "We'll find a way, we just have to be as gentle as possible."

Raven ignored his urge to make a joke by adding 'that's what she said' on the end of his last statement, knowing full well he would receive glares instead of laughs.

"I guess there's no point in just sitting around here sulking," Raven's ears perked up to Judith's voice, which, after all of the crying she went through, though never in public, sounded gentle.

"Yeah, you're right Judith," a small brunette admitted. She stood up from her sitting position and walked to the center of the room, demanding attention, "Ok, what are we going to do about this mess?"

"Well, Miss Mage, no one really knows where Yuri's headed."

"Then we need to find his location," she demanded.

"But how are we going to find him if nobody knows where he is?" Karol inquired, still looking at his shoes while sitting with his knees against him.

"Well, I guess that leaves it up ta me ta find 'im," the black haired man smiled, "I'm involved in the knights. If anyone has seen or heard him, the knights will know."

"LeBlanc might have a good idea," Judith remarked, "He's always chasing Yuri around."

A brief moment of peace seemed to flood the room at Judith's comment. The weight lifted and for once, they all felt like they could breathe again. But then the question came,

"What are we going to do about Flynn…" Rita was the unfortunate host of the question. Of course it had to be asked.

Raven didn't want to take charge of the situation, but he saw no other way to get the ball rolling, "We have the funeral tonight."

"So soon?" Karol protested, obviously this idea bothered him.

"Sodia, as well many other people closely connected ta Flynn felt he was snoopin' inta things that are better left un-snooped in."

"So? We don't even get time to mourn over his death!" anger was fueling Karol's voice.

The room went silent after the word death. Everyone in the room knew he didn't die in combat or in his sleep. Everyone knew the only logical way Flynn Scifo had died was by murder.

Judith decided to speak, "If Flynn was looking into things, that might explain why he was killed."

"That's true," Rita commented, "If he was looking into something that's top secret, he may have been killed to keep it quiet."

"The kill seems to overcompensate, though," Raven muttered.

Rita staggered at Raven's suggestion, "Are you saying you think he was tortured?"

The room went silent.

"Knights 101, if there's a breach in security, ya find it, capture it and interrogate it until ya find out what it knows and who it's told," Raven knew this was uncomfortable for everyone to hear, "If Flynn really was readin' inta somethin' he wasn't suppose ta, then someone could have very well tortured him to figure out what exactly he knew."

"Flynn…" Karol whispered.

The door to their room slammed open, and a young princess was standing there, breathing hard, "Sorry I'm late!"

They had all arranged to meet at noon to discuss what their next steps would be, and Estellise had arrived at 12:26.

"Don't worry about it, Estelle," Rita said. She made an off-handed gesture towards Raven, telling him to drop the earlier topic.

"So, have you discussed anything?" Estellise asked, her heart flooded with grief to have to speak of the topic again.

"Estelle, you know more about Flynn's movements before he died, was he looking into anything or acting odd?" Judith didn't put it softly, making everyone wince.

Estellise stood for a moment, thinking things through, "Well, I don't remember anything. He usually tells…told me everything."

"Don't worry you're pretty little head, Princess," Raven cooed, "It was just a question."

"You sure?" Rita questioned gently.

Estellise shook her head, "No, I feel like there was something he told me."

"Just keep thinking about it, Estelle," Judith said, "So what do we do now?"

Raven scratched his head, pondering, "Well, nothin' we can do 'sept look inta things ourselves."

"The Generals!"

A united 'what' echoed through the room at Estellise's blurt-out.

"He said something wasn't right about the Generals!"

Raven motioned for her to keep her voice down, "ok, ok, keep it quite. If that was what he was 'looking into' then we have bigger issues than just his death."

"Why the hush-hush, old man? I thought Generals were always around the globe feeding poor people and cleaning lakes," Rita asked.

The black haired man rolled his eyes, "Well, you've got the job description wrong…But other than that," he motioned for everyone to come closer, "The Generals always attend funeral services of knights ranking General or higher, in this case, Flynn was a very talented, well know individual. The Generals have been invited to the funeral, to honor a man who operated just like a General."

"So?"

"The funeral's tonight, which means the halls are swarming with them right now. If they did kill Flynn, they will show up at that funeral tonight and they will be listening for who might be acting like they know more than they should."

Estellise was surprised, "Why would the Generals want too…"

"It may just be a coincidence, but I suggest we all keep real quiet-like about this, at least until the wind blows over and we can make an accurate statement."

The entire group nodded.

"I guess we have no choice. Whoever did this will be in the crowd tonight, they will have to be in order to secure the fact that Flynn has been killed. Look through the crowd and look for someone who is acting less sad than everyone else. They will probably look relaxed or content with watching the funeral," Judith warned, "We must be on guard. We will be looking for them but they will also be looking for us, people who know about their big secret."

"Judith, darlin', when you talk all profiler it really turns me-"

"Shut it!" Rita growled.

* * *

The city gates looked marvelous to the ex-General. He could have almost sung a song of joy! That was if he had had the lung capacity to hold a note longer than a quarter note.

"Don't worry, Yuri."

Yuri said nothing in response, but Chandler knew that he wasn't going to answer back. After Yuri had spoke up near the dawn, he had fallen back unconscious, leaving Chandler to his thoughts once more.

It wasn't like Chandler had any good thoughts to think through, so he was feeling rather tired mentally as well as physically.

As he got his feet through the Gate, he was greeted with many knights. All in maroon, white and black.

"Damn it, Justice's knights."

"Excuse me sir, the city is on full lock-down, if you want to get through you will have to present ID for you and your," the knight eyed Yuri suspiciously, "friend."

"Right, uh, yeah, about that," Chandler was at a lost for what to do. He wasn't expecting the security and he wasn't expecting to have to present some kind of ID.

"Well, I don't have any ID on me. As you can see, we are both injured terribly due to the monsters outside. My friend needs medical help immediately." Chandler didn't want to have to bring any more attention to himself or Yuri due to the fact they were both wearing prison uniforms. Something easily identifiable by any knight.

Maybe, he thought, he would get lucky and one of the knights would be dumb and have a heart, to boot.

"Unless you provide some kind of ID, we can't let you in."

He was about to fight the lot of them when a voice he could have gone the rest of his life without hearing spoke up, "Let them pass, that's General Chandler Vice and with him a good friend of the late Captain Flynn Scifo."

Chandler caught the man in his vision, "Justice."

Justice smiled coolly, "I was wondering when you would get in. You have an assignment to attend too, but I'll let you wait until after the funeral tonight."

"You said 'late' earlier, do you mean?"

"Sadly, Captain Flynn Scifo was found dead on the castle property. The details of his death have not been disclosed, but most are assuming suicide."

Chandler wasn't buying that for a second, "That's terrible news. It's a good thing Yuri's unconscious, I can't think of he would take the news."

General Justice bowed in apology, "My mistake, I shouldn't be so insensitive," Justice pointed to one of his knights, "Rex, take General Chandler and his friend Yuri Lowell to the medical bay."

The knight, named Rex, nodded and began escorting them to the medical bay.

* * *

"Estelle!"

Estellise was brought out of her daze and looked towards her door.

Karol came running through the door, not even stopping to knock, "Estelle, Yuri and some strange guy have returned to the castle! They're in the medical bay!"

Estellise nearly jumped up for joy, "We had better go meet them!"

The two of them quickly departed for the medical bay, the pain of Flynn's death almost evaporated.

Down a hallway and making a right turn, the medical bay doors were beige in color with a red cross on the front.

Her hand leading the way, Estellise pushed open the door to a conglomerate of bustling nurses.

One nurse, which Estellise recognized as her wet nurse, was shouting orders at the other nurses, "Hurry girls, he needs more bandages! Also, bring me that toad oil, the General has burns to be treated!"

Estellise's heart froze. General? If there was a General here then…

"Excuse me?" Karol asked to a red-head nurse that was passing by, "Is Yuri Lowell in here?"

"Yuri Lowell? He's the boy one of the Generals just brought in."

"Brought in?"

"Yes, he's unconscious because of a nasty wound on his back, but he should live."

Adding the word 'live' at the end of the statement didn't make Yuri's condition sound much better, but Karol went with it anyway, "Can we see him?"

"I guess, but don't get in our way."

The two worried friends followed the red-head to the small bed were Yuri was resting. Estellise could tell by looking at him that there was something off about him, "Are any of his bones broken?"

The nurse nodded, "But we can mend them." She appeared to be trying to reassure the princess that everything was going to be ok.

Estellise placed her small palm on top of Yuri's head, gently stroking his hair as if cooing a baby to sleep. First Flynn's death and now Yuri's hospitalization, things were going downhill right now and there was nothing for her to do about it. She couldn't save Flynn, she couldn't protect Yuri from whatever harmed him.

Then she remembered, "You said a General brought him in?" He question had more edge on it than she was hoping for.

Luckly, the nurse didn't seem to notice, "Yes, General Chandler Vice brought him in."

"You mean the man from the book?"

The nurse didn't respond. Was it because the question didn't make any sense? That was always possible.

"Chandler Vice is the name of a character in a book I'm reading."

The nurse looked confused, "Well, it must be a coincidence. But the General's name is Chandler Vice, he's been on mission for the past 10 years, or at least that's what I've heard."

"You've heard? You mean you don't know?" Karol questioned, obviously confused by the subject.

A bit offended, the red-head spoke up, "No one really knows where he's been or what he's been doing since the end of the Great War."

"Just like in the book…" Estellise whispered. It was almost weird. The book was fiction, she knew that much. She had found it and decided to read it to Karol since it sounded like something he would be interested in. Sword fights, heroic deeds, damsels in distress, definably a Karol book.

"How can no one know…" Karol asked.

"Can we see him?" Estellise spoke, changing the subject.

"He's getting some burns treated, but sure."

They left Yuri, who was still unconscious, and went to go see Chandler.

Estellise noted to herself the appearance of Chandler. He was wearing a prison uniform, just like Yuri was, only his was covered in dirt and burns, like he had just escaped a fire. His entire right arm was almost black and looked like it would break apart at a mere touch. His long black hair was loosely pulled back in a ponytail, which appeared to be done by himself since it was off center to the left. He had cold eyes and seemed very intent to avoid anyone's glance.

One thing was for sure, he didn't look like a General. At least, not the General in her book.

"Excuse me, General Vice, this is princess Estellise. She and her friend wanted to see you."

Chandler did his best to smile, "Ok."

She noted the extreme rasp his voice held, like he had been smoking all his life. She spoke, as not to be rude, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Were you the one to save Yuri?"

"Kinda, he sorta saved me too."

"That's Yuri," Karol smiled broadly, showing off all of his teeth.

"It is," Chandler said, "I'm glad I could get him here before night fell again…"

"What happened?" Estellise inquired.

Lying, Chandler spoke, "He and I were attacked by monsters on our way back from prison."

Estellise had to beg the question, "Why were you two in prison?"

Chandler held his tounge for a moment, making sure he was keeping his story straight, "He and I were imprisoned on false accusations. They sent us back here."

"Why are you still in prison uniforms?"

"They sell your clothes once you're put in prison, so we had nothing to change into when we left."

Estellise wasn't sure how truthful the General was being, but she didn't want to look like she was probing. She remembered her conversation with all of her friends. The General's were involved and they would be looking for anyone who might know what Flynn had gotten into. "Well, I'm glad you two are safe," she smiled her bubbly smile and bowed, "We must be going. You may not have heard, but there is a funeral tonight and I must get ready to attend it."

"A funeral? For who?" Chandler knew exactly for who, but he decided to play the innocence as long as he could.

Hesitating, she almost began to cry, but spoke as clear and calm as she could, "Captain Flynn Scifo was found dead yesterday evening."

Chandler put on his best 'shocked' expression, "He's dead?"

Estellise fought back the tears, "Yes and his funeral is tonight." She couldn't stay any longer so she turned and hastily walked towards the door, Karol scrabbling behind.

Chandler watched as she disappeared into the crowd of nurses. It was all he had to hear. It was true, Flynn Scifo had died, but not by suicide, like Justice wanted him to believe. By murder, and Chandler believed he knew the culprit.

* * *

A black sky hushed the entire city of Zaphias. All city lamps were to be off tonight. Houses were empty, streets were bare and all shops were closed up for the evening. Zaphias was like a ghost town as everyone went to see the funeral for Flynn.

Everyone stood around a huge stand which was covered with old wood and oil. The stand was etched with scriptures and symbols that dated from the birth of Zaphias. It was made of gold, and gleamed in the descending sunlight.

All of Flynn's knights stood on one side of the stand, standing at attention as if their dead captain had just called for it. Sodia among them, the streaks made from her tears still apparent on her face.

Heavy whispers scurried throughout the entire crowd, all wondering why something like this could happen.

Estellise found herself wondering that as well.

Ever since she had known Flynn, he had been someone she knew she could trust. He was kind and caring, and no matter what you needed or when you needed it, he would be there in a heartbeat.

He was well respected because of that, and also because of his unique personality. He had a fiery determination that caught people's eye. Flynn Scifo also had a sharp tongue, but he always knew when to hold back. He knew the difference between constructive criticism and insubordination, and because of that, everyone respected him.

Estellise couldn't count how many times she had heard everyone say Flynn would go far. He was expected to be the next commandant. His skill and dedication would surely have led him to that point. Everyone knew it, especially Flynn.

Tears stung her eyes but she held them back. She had to be strong. If not for herself than for Flynn. She could just here him now, scolding her ever so gently about crying over his death. He would say, 'Lady Estellise, the funeral hasn't even started yet,' or 'Save your tears for when something really sad happens.'

Flynn had always been modest.

Her mind was interrupted by the sound of walking. Her eyes trailed over to see a large group of Flynn's soldiers marching in, carrying a casket at their waist.

Each man was dressed in uniform and each man had their face to the ground.

Tears began to erupt from her eyes for she knew what they were carrying. Who they were carrying.

In the casket lay a man who had often inspired her. A man of thought and calming words. A man who was sworn to his duty and never once defaulted on such.

As the men approached, the other knights struggled to hold back their tears. Sodia, one of the only females, began to cry but forced herself to stand tall like a good soldier. Sobbing came from all around them, filling the cold night sky with sorrow, the blackness eating up the sadness that seeped from the group.

Around her, Karol was wiping the tears from his eyes but to no avail. Judith had bowed her head in respect, letting few tears come through. Rita had turned her head from the funeral, not wanting anyone to see that she was crying. Raven, however, just watched.

Estellise figured he was use to seeing comrades die. He had fought in the Great War, watching people die right in front of him every day. She could only wish she were that strong. To hold back her tears, to stand straight as if this was a knight she had never known. If only she could be that strong.

The knights had reached the golden stand, lifting the casket and placing it upon the wood and oil. Silence engulfed the crowd as they watched to honor the dead Captain.

Sodia then called out, "Knights! Salute!" All knights saluted as she shouted and the knights who had carried him in moved back into the crowd.

She walked over to the stand, glancing at the Captain's face one last time. Then, she spoke, "My Captain," she paused, stealing her breath in an attempt not to cry, "was always a man of pride and honor. He was dedicated to his job, to his people and to his country. He was always asking me…to go with him to different cities to," she hitched a breath, "ask everyone what they needed. He was determined to meet everyone's needs. And that's something I'll always remember about him. He was a good man, a good leader and a good Captain who could have risen through the ranks had he not met his end so suddenly…" she had to stop, catch her breath and push back her tears, "He will always be remembered."

She finished and took a piece of wood and struck a match to it. The wood caught fire, blazing brightly, casting a glow on everyone's face. Her tears were no longer being restrained, everyone could see that.

Her cheeks glistened from the tears as she placed the fire upon the wood and oil, letting it catch the entire base on fire.

Estellise began to cry harder, hot liquid rolling down her face, "Flynn…"she spoke, muffed by the crackling fire.

The burning flames engulfed the casket in which Flynn was lying, catching everything on fire.

If only she could have been stronger. If only she could have protected Flynn like he had always protected her. She felt powerless and weak, hardly able to stand.

She began to sob, her body convulsing under her tears. She had never wanted to see this. She had never wanted to witness his body burn to ashes, be reduced to nothing. Pain overwhelmed her heart, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't stay and watch him burn. It was the last thing she every wanted to do, and here she was, watching.

All she could see was red and orange, blurring her vision as she envisioned Flynn. His smile, his laugh, the way his eyes shined when he saw her. She could see everything she had always loved about him die away in the burning fire.

The flames would consume her memories of him, just like the flames would consume his body.

Her cheeks raw, she didn't bother to wipe away the tears anymore, she just let them come. They slid down her face, landing on the ground below. She was sure she looked silly, crying so much, not attempting to protect her image.

But she cared not.

All she knew was sorrow right now, and she couldn't bring herself to think of anything else but the sadness she felt.

He had told her only a few days prior to his disappearance that he had something special to tell her. She had asked, curious about what could possibly be so special. But he said he couldn't tell her, not yet.

Flynn had said he needed to clear something up first, something that had to do with Yuri. She knew that because he always got this look, a look that showed annoyance and amusement. She knew then that he was talking about Yuri because of that look.

But now she would never know what he was planning to say. She couldn't even venture a guess. It would forever remain a secret, something only the dead man would know.

A dead man's secret.

Forever his own.


	11. Red Meadow

Hello Again! Sorry it's been so long since I updated! I want to thank you guys for alway coming back to read this story! Anyway, the reason it took me so long to get this posted was because I couldn't stop thinking about this other fanfiction I plan to write after this one. (well, the truth is I got the first chapter of said fanfiction written). Either way, I might be posting that as well as On the Brink (of course, this story would get priority XD) so be on the look out for that. XD And I might just give those who have reviewed (and have accounts) a sneak peak at the fanfiction by sending them the first chapter. We shall see. As always **READ, ENJOY AND REVIEW!**

SIDE NOTE: this chapter has a rather bloody moment in it. You have been warned!

* * *

Chapter Eleven – Red Meadow

A cold rain began to pour upon the capital city. It's huge droplets smashed against the ground, and sent all who were in the streets running for cover.

The dirt and grime of yesterday began to run off the buildings and onto the streets, where it was then pulled into a gutter and ridded of existence for good. The entire city was being cleaned, purified.

As rushed footsteps pushed people into the nearest building, one simply pressed on. He continued to walk forward, allowing the rain to stain his clothes, soak his face, and hopefully clear his soul.

His hair fell into his face, he couldn't stop shivering, but he didn't care. He just needed to walk. Walk and think…

Walk and think…

Walk and think…

He stopped and looked up at the sky, seeming to just register the rain falling upon him.

He closed his eyes and stretched his arms out.

Was he trying to catch the rain? He didn't know, it just felt so good.

People cluttered under street stands and canopied tops just to stare at him. They pondered his actions, standing in the rain…

But he couldn't care less.

It was people like them, after all, who were making him do this.

He opened his eyes and looked up at the clouds hovering over him. Were they crying for him? Did they feel sorry for him?

Maybe so…

He thought back on the events…It had really only been a few days hadn't it?

It felt like an eternity to him…

But it was only a few days ago…that everything was going fine, the weather was warm and pleasant, and not a drop of rain was suppose to fall and rid the world of it's stains…of it's impurities…of him…

The rain grew heavier, soaking him through even more than it usually did. A slight shiver entered his bones and he clasped his arms around his wet body.

His once freshly cleaned and pressed white dress shirt now stuck to his skin and showed his bony frame. Ribs jetting from his sides, and spine almost visible.

It made him remember, remember the fact that he hadn't eaten for nearly a week.

He had forgotten to eat, he remembered, and after things started happening, he forgot to even forget to eat. It had become a complete after thought. And here he was, standing in the rain, cold, soaked and hungry.

He put his hands on his face to clear away the wet strands of hair that had managed to stream their way onto his face.

He wrapped his arms around his tiny frame again, the wet shirt engulfing him.

What could he have done anyway? It wasn't like he knew what was going to happen. If he had known…

Well, things would have been different. Very different.

He continued to walk. Walk through the now completely empty streets. He was alone. The streaming buildings and the weeping clouds were the only things to keep him company.

Where was he headed anyway? Did he have a destination?

Not really.

All he knew was that he was going to walk and think.

Walk and think…

Walk and think…

Walk and think…

The world turned shades of gray as he continued to think. His thoughts varied, often being about the huge problem the rain was probably trying to wash away, but also of the trivial things. The small things that you end up missing the most…

The rain never stopped, often resting it's tired voice before roaring its comeback, but that didn't mean it stopped. Thunder rumbled and lighting began to stretch across the sky, bringing to light all the dark, dank shadows that plagued the streets.

His eyes were looking nowhere in particular when they landed on the castle.

The pearly white building still managed to have a shine to it. That shine reflected dully throughout the city. Spreading hope that the white walls would prevail and the storm would soon pass. He laughed at that, and then let his eyes wonder to the windows. The huge windows were stained with magnificent colors of purple and red, colors that represented the loyalty and the passion the Emperor had for his Empire.

Colors, he thought, he would never see again.

People say life's colors begin to dim as you get older. It's just a natural progression in life, is all. Life just looses its mystery and it's luster; things just don't stand out as much as they use too. You start to loose interest in anything that's going on, and by the end of it all, when you're ready to die, life has lost all of it's color. Just a screen playing in black and white.

Now, rather that was true or not? He wasn't quite sure.

But he could no longer see the liveliness those colors once had.

The beauty and majesty those colors would play on your eyes every time you were in their presence held no effect over him.

Perhaps it was the rain? Washing away the color like water does to paint while it's still fresh. Or perhaps it was the gray clouds that clung to the sky. Without the blue contrast, the purple and red simply looked dull and unattractive.

Or perhaps, it was as people said. Life looses its colors…

That meant he would eventually fall into a world of black and white…and possibly, slowly, he would even loose the white.

He would be trapped in a world of black.

"There's the castle," a voice spoke, snapping him out of his thought. He turned towards the dark figure that stood next to him. The man was dressed in black, a hood covering his head, only his pointed teeth visible.

He said nothing; tipping the man off to continue talking, "the castle is as pretty as I remember it being." He let out a sigh and continued to walk forward, "you had better hurry."

"I know."

The man's grin only widened, "so come on, don't be a stick in the mud and dampen my mood. I can't wait to start killing people."

Was that all he was interested in? Killing seemed to be the only thing on that man's mind. But nonetheless, he didn't care much. What are a couple lives if it means making the world a better place?

By riding the world of those who are bad, you make room for those who are good. That was his belief and always would be. You have to crush the strong to save the weak and violence was the only way of doing that.

By killing them, he would baptize the world in their blood and make way for a world free of darkness.

And he would be its king.

* * *

It wasn't direct, but it was something.

It was a small twitch at the corner of his mouth that gave it all away. Just a second and it was gone, but it was all Raven needed to confirm his suspicion. The General's were involved and worst of all, Justice was the key player.

Whatever Flynn had figured out, the General's didn't want anyone finding out.

He took his eyes off Justice and instead watched the cold body of Flynn Scifo, Sodia's words barely etching their way into Raven's brain. It wasn't that he took pleasure in seeing dead people, he had seen enough of that during the Great War, it was, instead, that he needed time to think.

Something was off.

Something wasn't sitting right in Raven's brain.

The General's had a secret, something they didn't want anyone to know about. Flynn found out about it, they tortured him and then killed him. But what if…

Sodia finished her speech, leaving the crowd silent. She picked up some dry wood and struck a match too it.

It caught fire instantly and she placed the burning spirit upon the wood and oil. Fire began to envelope the body, casting a dark shadows upon everyone.

Raven heard a faint whisper from the girl next to him. He turned to see Estellise crying but decided to do nothing. She needed to cope in her own way, and Raven would do nothing but hinder that coping.

What if this wasn't the whole picture? What if this was only what the Generals wanted to be seen. This was their story? Made by the Generals to entertain the audience?

It was just a ploy.

Because something wasn't adding up, which means something was going down.

* * *

The funeral ended and people began leaving in silence. Rain began to spot its way down to the earth, as if trying to wash away the sadness people felt in their hearts. But to no avail, sadness remained and for one woman, an emptiness too.

Sodia walked away from the smoldering pit feeling like her entire world had crashed down around her.

Flynn had been her closest friend, her mentor, her commander, her strength.

She hadn't ever given friendship much thought until she met him. She had gotten so use to being ignored for being to 'stuck up'.

When she was younger, growing up in the noble quarter, she had always been seen as odd. Becoming a knight, just like her father, had always been a dream she held close to her heart. It was a passion, which she was destine to fulfill, but, like always, it came at a price.

No other girl would ever want to hang out with such a tom-boy, at least not in the noble quarter. All the girls there, they imagined themselves getting married to other rich boys and having children. They wouldn't need to work since they were so rich. But for Sodia, it was different. Very different.

Her only friend, her father, had always taught her to do things for yourself and to always take a challenge by the horns.

And so she did.

And she liked it that way.

So because of that, she had no friends. Boys were to scared to get close to her and girls were to preppy to want to come near.

That is, until she was assigned to Flynn.

Sodia felt a hot tear stream down her cheek. Oh, how she wanted to forget she ever knew him. She couldn't stand it, the sadness she felt every time she imagined his face. The way he smiled whenever she walked into the room or the way he would always praise her for doing a good job, even when it wasn't the best she had done.

More tears.

She reflected on the last conversation she had with Flynn, regretting not speaking up when he had asked.

He had been lying on his bed, attempting to unwind when she had walked into the room. At first, she figured she could wait until later to inform him of what General Justice had said but after seeing him there, she knew she couldn't wait.

He looked concerned about his friend, whom Sodia couldn't stand. His eyes were mellow, like he had just witnessed someone die and his body language was the same as someone who had missed many hours of sleep.

So Sodia had decided to be brief and instead of telling him what was on her mind, she had just spoken her business and left.

Of course, now she paid the ultimate price.

Flynn Scifo, her Captain, was dead.

And she was at fault.

* * *

Rain had fallen all the next day and no signs of it stopping were evident. The rain had cleared the streets of people and sellers who all just stayed inside and tried to ignore the sound of wind rushing outside.

Chandler looked out the window longingly, wishing for a single glimpse of sunlight between gushes of wind and rain.

The truth was, Chandler wasn't all that fond of cold and or wet weather. He would rather spend his days in the sun with a warm tingle to his skin than sit and freeze like he lived in the deepest part of the sea. Either way, he continued to look out the window hoping he would see the sun.

"You're still here?"

Chandler turned from the window to see Princess Estellise standing in the doorway. She was holding a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed bear with a purple ribbon around its neck, it's foot read 'Get Well Soon'.

Chandler didn't say anything immediately. He instead took his time examining the young girl. Her cheeks were red as well as her eyes. Her skin looked like it could blend in with the sky. Her hair a mess and her dress put on without care, Princess Estellise was a picture perfect example of a street urchin pretending to be a queen.

He glanced around the room, looking at the white walls and various machines with little blastia attached to them.

He also looked at Yuri, still lying in the medical bed resting from the past days events.

"Well, you know," Chandler finally spoke, "I feel kinda guilty."

Estellise spoke softly, "Why would you? You didn't do this to him."

"No," Chandler looked back out the window, "But I wasn't able to help."

Estellise put the flowers on the small bedside table and placed the little teddy bear next to Yuri's head, "You go him here."

"True."

"Therefore, you saved his life."

"That might be stretching it."

"Not in my opinion," Estellise began straightening out Yuri's blankets and attending to the poor man's hair.

She looked like a worried mother, Chandler noted.

Estellise, of course, had that reputation. Chandler didn't know how many tales he had heard about the young Princess going about helping others and taking time out of her studies or what have you to go and help servants do their jobs.

Although not exactly what Chandler was looking for in a women, he would choose to marry her if she wasn't so much younger than him and if he wasn't already taken by another girl. Well, kind of taken.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her as she continued to tidy up the already clean room.

She couldn't lie about it, "I'm getting by but it hasn't quite hit me yet."

"That part always takes time."

"I just don't know how Yuri will act when he hears the news…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at Yuri.

Chandler shrugged, "He'll go kick the bad guy's ass, right?"

A small smile crossed Estellise's face, "He will, won't he."

Chandler decided to give Estellise some time alone with Yuri so he dismissed himself from the room. After all, he had something far more important to do. He would have to confront Justice himself, even if that meant Yuri wouldn't get his revenge.

Justice was charismatic and Chandler knew that. That left him with very few options. He could rather take Justice by the horns or he could go at him through his followers.

Both didn't sound like very good options and he figured his chance of success was significantly low.

He would need to figure out how many had turned. After all, Justice had just about 10 years to twist them to his will and it wasn't like he wasn't powerful enough to take down anyone who denied him. That included Generals, Council members and even the perceptive Flynn Scifo.

* * *

The man picked his pointed teeth with a toothpick as he sat in some bushes along the east side of the castle.

He was bored, that was for sure and he was tired of watching his partner glance at the castle and then glare at him in disgust.

It wasn't like it was his fault he had nothing better to do than clean his teeth, "Will you stop glancing at me like that?"

The man who was with him rolled his eyes, "It's disgusting."

"Then don't look."

He rolled his eyes once more turned to face the pointy-toothed man, "Are you going to help yet?"

The pointy-toothed man threw the toothpick on the ground, which joined a small pile of toothpicks that had previously met the same fate. He chose to ignore his partner's whining for now. He, instead, interested himself in watching the gray clouds drop more rain.

"You know, Florence, you sure are useless."

Florence shot a glare at his friend, "What are you saying Radley Rory?"

Radley hated it when Florence used his full name, "All you do is sit around. We're supposed to be looking for something."

"Ok, ok. Geez. It's not like it's gonna happen today, dear."

"I don't want to be called that."

"Nobody wants to be called that."

"Go get married if you want to call someone 'dear'," Radley muttered, "until then, drop it."

Florence made an angry cat noise before sitting up and looking at the castle. All was quiet and peaceful, not the type of scene Florence was into.

"You know, Rad? I don't really like this job."

Radley rolled his eyes, attempting to ignore the pointy-toothed man at all costs. But Florence didn't care if Radley was listening or not, he was going to speak his mind, "I hate waiting for hours outside just to watch patrols. Flynn already told us what we needed to know about the patrols and stuff. So why are we sitting here watching?"

A deep sigh came from Radley who didn't look the least bit pleased, "Maybe it's because he could have been lying?"

Florence placed a hand on his chin, "Well, well my darling, I didn't think of that one."

"Don't call me that either."

"Right."

The two of them sat quietly watching the east side of the castle until silence almost caused them to go deaf.

"Can we go?"

"No."

"Can I go?"

"No."

"Can I-"

Florence was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Sounds like soldiers, let's move."

"Rad, can't we have a little fun? If you let me bother them, I'll stop bothering you…for today at least."

Radley rolled his eyes, "You do what you want, but I don't want to get in trouble with the General." Radley began to move through the bushes, leaving Florence by himself.

"I guess it's time to show Zaphias why I'm known as the Red Devil."

With a smirk he waited for the guards to come over. He couldn't keep from laughing to himself, this was going to be so much fun.

The guards poked their heads inside the bush and only realized an instant later that a man had been there.

Florence leapt from the bushes, dragging the guards helmeted heads along with him. He smashed the heads into the ground, causing the guards to scream out.

* * *

Radley could just barely pick up the commotion behind him, assuming Florence was at work that was the only noise he would hear before it became silent.

From what he heard from the General, Florence had been sitting in the dungeons of Nordipalica for nearly a decade before finally being freed. Well, freed was the wrong word, broken out was more like it. The General had heard of the Red Devil and decided he wanted that devil on his team.

Apparently, it wasn't a hard bargain to make. Just let Florence kill to his hearts content and Florence would be obedient.

What a sick bastard.

Radley stopped at a corner, checking behind him and then around the corner to make sure no one was around. He had moved out of the foliage and onto the path. As far as he was concerned, the easiest way to make it to the gardens was from the footpath that the Princess used daily.

It was risky, counting security had been heightened since Flynn Scifo's body was discovered, but it was going to be simpler in the long run. If he didn't have to volt over any walls, he would be ok.

Radley turned the corner and was instantly stopped by someone in front of him.

"Hello my dear," Florence's pointed teeth glowed with a red tint.

Radley's heart almost leapt out of his chest, "Watch it," he hissed.

"Sorry to scare you, buddy."

Rolling his eyes once more, Radley pushed past him, "I assume you had fun?"

Florence started licking blood off his fingers, "I guess. You know, I would have more fun if I could kill some real game."

"Not today."

"I guess that's a no."

"Yup." Radley wasn't in the mood to take on Florence's small attempts at sexual humor. To be quite honest, Radley didn't want to even be near Florence let alone in the same room.

But he was on a job and he was the type of person who always finishes a job.

* * *

The door to Sodia's new office slammed open.

"Sodia, we've got a problem!"

Sodia didn't hesitate and stood immediately, "Take me to it!"

The two knights ran through the halls of the castle, shoved threw the doors and headed outside to the east side of the castle grounds.

When Sodia got there she couldn't believe her eyes.

Two crimson figures hung on the walls surrounding the castle. What looked like torsos hung on the walls while their limbs were scattered about the ground. Two stumps, which Sodia could only guess were heads, sat on top of the torsos. From the look of all the blood, the heads had obviously been severed at one point, though Sodia didn't want to think about what the killer used to tie them back on.

Sodia found the nerve to speak, "Who did this?"

"We don't know. All we know is three knights went to replace the ones on duty when they stumbled upon," the knight made an open gesture, "this."

Sodia couldn't believe what she was looking at. First her Captain died and now someone had the nerve to do this to a group of knights…

"Wait," Sodia turned quickly to the knight whom she had spoken to earlier, "You said three knights came to replace the ones on duty."

"Yes?"

"There are only two bodies."

The knight fell silent, his mouth opening in utter shock.

Sodia asked for him, "Where's the third knight?"

The man could say nothing, possibly because he could only begin to imagine what the other knight must look like.

Sodia began walking the area, searching for anything that looked out of place. Her eyes were scanning every detail, watching to for something that didn't click with her memory since she had always had a photographic memory. If something had moved or hadn't been there the last time she was there, she would notice.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of a group of bushes, which followed the wall, which then followed the walking path.

The mud was moist near the bushes, more so than anywhere else. She mentally prepared herself for the worst as she pulled back the leafs and branches to see what wait behind.

At first she couldn't recognize what it was, but after staring at it for a second she noticed exactly what it was.

Her scream tipped everyone off that she had found the third man, or what was left of him.

Knights ran over to Sodia, quickly drawing their swords just in case. But what lie before them wasn't in need of being killed. It was, in fact, already dead. Very dead.

Three heads stared out through the bushes as well a bloody pile of flesh. One arm laid on the ground, it's fingers wrapped into its hand, except one.

The index finger was pointing to something, and one of the knights dared to move in closer to see.

"Look at this."

Sodia forced herself to get over the shock and bent down to get a good look, "Toothpicks?" A small pile of toothpicks sat where the finger was pointing, all of which seemed to have been used at one point or another.

"Ma'am, I hate to bring this up but…"

Sodia motioned for him to continue.

"If those are the heads of the three knights then," The knight swallowed hard, "What was on the top of those bodies back there." He pointed towards the resting place of the two other knights.

Sodia cringed at the thought, "Take all of this in for analyses."

The knights nodded and went to go get some bags for the mess.

Sodia had never seen anything like this before. Three bodies, completely mutilated, and a pile of toothpicks that might have gone unnoticed if it wasn't for the killer pointing them out using a body part.

As completely grossed out as Sodia was, she knew she had other business she need to attend too. Whoever did this was still at large inside the castle grounds. She would have to inform Princess Estellise as well as Ioder. If she wasted time here, she might fall behind.

She stood up and made for the inside where she would be safe from the rain and safe from the killer, if only for a little while.

* * *

As far as voting went (which sadly I didn't have that many people participate) Lou came out the victor. XD well, Chandler. You know what I mean. XD **If you still want to vote, go ahead! I will except your submission!**


	12. By Our Write Hand

Hello Again! You all must be shocked I updated so quickly! XD I had quite a bit of freetime so I turned on 30 seconds to mars' song, "The Kill" and typed away. "The Kill" was the song I thought this entire story up too. So if you want to hear the inspiration to the story than go and listen to the song (BTW there isn't any spoilers or anything that really has to do with the story in that song...the Lord only knows how that song and this story go together. XD) ANYWAY! I want to apologize for another really long chapter. I am trying to keep them short but I want to fit a lot in so we can get to the good fighting stuff sooner, so please bear with me. XP **As always, Read, Enjoy and Review!**

* * *

Chapter Twelve – By Our Write Hand

Annoying.

That's the word for it, he decided.

Annoying.

The retired General had been yakking away at the beginning of two hours ago and hadn't even stopped for a water break.

It was aggravating and he found himself secretly hoping the man would suddenly fall to the floor and die. He would be so overjoyed that he would stand up, break the mask he had been wearing for nearly 15 years, and jump for joy singing any word that came to his head.

He would look stupid doing it but that wouldn't matter. The old man would be dead.

God, he hoped that didn't show on his face.

That wouldn't be good. Here this old grandpa was talking about attack strategies and how to successfully kill off an enemy without making a sound and there he would be, smiling away like it was the greatest pleasure to kill people.

It was but that wasn't the point.

After considering it for a moment, he realized there was no way he would be making that kind of mistake. He was perfect, after all. That's how he painted himself and that was how he was.

There was no way for him to make a mistake, especially not now. He was a mere footstep away from his ultimate goal and nothing, absolutely nothing, could stop him. He was too powerful, too influential, and too perfect. Even the almighty Flynn Scifo, the man that had been destine to become commandant, had fallen victim to him and now…

That was a funny story.

But not one he needed to think about now. He would really smile if he continued to think about it.

"Excuse me," came a voice that knocked him out of his thoughts.

He looked at the person who had entered the room. It was that redhead girl with the cat-like eyes. Flynn's little lover.

She stopped the retired Generals speech and spoke to him in hushed tones. After a few seconds the retired general spoke, "I'm sorry, Generals, but there's been a disturbance and the commandant wants you all to head outside immediately to be briefed."

It beat listening to more strategy stuff, he figured.

"Justice," it was Flanoir's voice.

He looked over at her. He had to feel a little sorry for the woman after her tangle with General Chandler. He had managed to cut her up pretty well. Her arms were bandaged up, fingers and all, and all because Chandler had managed to break through her ice magic and use his hellfire sword.

"What is it?"

"I heard from some guards," she was speaking in almost a muted whisper, "Florence has killed some people."

It took every ounce of self-control Justice had to hold down his anger, "He attacked?"

His question was more of a statement but Flanoir answered anyway, "He killed three guards."

"Damn him," Justice continued to remain calm as he stood up. She stood up with him and they both left the room along with the other Generals.

Florence wasn't going with the plan.

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

Flanoir shook her head, "I'm sorry."

Justice ignored her. He just knew Florence was going to cause trouble if he didn't get to the action soon.

It was rushing things, sure, but it's what had to happen.

He continued to walk, not even turning his head to Flanoir, "It's time."

"Time?"

Justice scarcely nodded, "Yes, time." An icy smile covered his face. He was going to crack soon. General Justice would be no more and all that would be left was Hell.

* * *

"An entire fleet of Generals?" Rita's voice was both shocked and skeptical.

"That's what my research has lead me too," Raven sounded grim as he spoke to his group of friends.

"So," Judith spoke, attempting to sum up what she had just heard, "You think every General is following this man, Justice?"

Raven could remember that slight twitch he had seen on Justice's face at the funeral and nodded, "Justice is defiantly the leader, prolly the one who killed Flynn, too."

Karol's face turned grim, "You think he killed Flynn to cover up his plan?"

"Seems like it."

He looked at the ground, "But," his small voice barely reaching the old man's ears, "What exactly is his plan?"

Raven scratched his head, "That's what I don't know."

The room grew silent as the group sat, pondering their next words carefully. Rita was the first to chime in, "I guess we'll just have to beat it out of him."

"Slow down there, girly," Raven spoke, standing up from his previous sitting position, "he's got a large group of followers. Very strong followers, I might add."

Judith finished Raven's thought for him, "He could easily beat us down if we aren't careful, am I right."

"That you are, Judith, my dear." He walked about the room, stopping at the window to gaze upon the rain-soaked earth.

"Hey Raven," Karol spoke up, "do you really think everyone is on his side?"

"If there is someone that isn't, they're prolly dead," Raven made the unnecessary gesture of sliding a finger across his throat and then continued, "This man has probably been planning this fer years. He ain't gonna let this all fall apart at the end 'cuz he didn't tie up any loose ends."

Karol sighed, "So how DO we find out what his plan is?"

That, Raven didn't have an answer too. Sure, they could attack and kill every single General in all of the Imperial Knights, but that was risky and had a low chance of success. But trying to find someone who knew anything was even lower.

It would have to be something worth killing someone over. Especially since Flynn was such a well known man in the first place…

And then it clicked.

"My God…" Raven spoke.

Rita, Judith and Karol all watched as Raven's skin grew pale. "What?" Rita questioned.

"It was all a ploy."

"What was a ploy?"

"Killing Flynn, dumping his body on the castle grounds and the quick funeral. It was all a ploy."

Karol furrowed his brow, "I'm not following, Raven. Killing Flynn was some kind of distraction?"

"If you were planning something really, really big, you wouldn't want people getting in your way, right?"

"Yes," a hint of annoyance was in Rita's voice, " that's why Justice killed Flynn."

"Then why dump the body?"

"What?" Rita's brain began to function on the same wavelength as Ravens, "You think they dumped his body in sight as a diversion?

"To keep prying eyes away from what was really going on," Raven moved away from the window and to the center of the room, "They did something the evening of the funeral. And that's what they're hiding."

Karol begged a question, "what did they do that evening then? They were at the funeral."

Raven nodded, "That they were, kid, but just because they were there doesn't mean they didn't have someone else, not connected to the knights, make a move."

"Putting out king into check while we're all distracted," Judith muttered.

"Exactly," Rita spoke, words etching into the walls of the room, "They did something."

The conversation was interrupted when Sodia burst into the room, "I know," she shouted.

All eyes turned to her, standing there out of breath.

"What?" Raven stepped closer to her.

"They're preparing an army. They plan to take over the capital."

* * *

If there was one thing that could calm Estellise down, it was sitting in the garden, watching the flowers bloom. Although she had been told many times before that it wasn't very lady-like to kneel in the dirt, she had done it anyway. After all, what's the fun in just admiring the flowers? It was more fun to help them grow.

She tried to smile as she worked, attempting to ignore the giant gorilla of a thought in her head, knowing that if she allowed herself, she would start thinking about Flynn, his funeral still fresh in her head.

She hummed a song of no particular tune as she weeded the garden and packed fresh dirt where it was needed.

Flowers were always in need of care it seemed, just like children. If you didn't watch them carefully, things could go downhill faster than a speeding bullet. She didn't know how many times she had come back to a dead batch of flowers because she ended up getting lost in a book.

That book!

She had never finished reading it to Karol.

The story of the man who was going to war, Chandler Vice, and who would only return when he had become a hero, a victor and found the perfect treasure for his love. She recited the last paragraph she had read before realizing Karol was asleep, _"…And before you, I shall appear victorious. I will have conquered all there is to conquer, and I shall bring to you the most precious gem to be found on this earth, the heavens and all the underworld. This I promise, for you are the path I have chosen. And for you, I can brave any sea, any storm and any foe that may present itself to me. Wait for me, for I shall only return when I have accomplished these things…"_

She did wonder how it would end, most likely with the hero defeating his enemies and returning with the most precious gem for his love, thus making a happy ending to the story.

But her mind returned to Chandler. Although not anything like the man from the book, Estellise found it odd that the two shared the same name. The book, which was a complete work of fiction, was a historic fiction based on fake people and a real setting, which was the Great War…

She shook her head. That was a dreadfully depressing piece of history she had never liked studying or reading about, but the book sounded to happy and romantic to pass up.

It did dabble in the details of the war, but the most important thing had always been the story between the two lovers, Chandler Vice and Lou LaCrosse.

The sound of rustling brushes attracted her attention. She peered towards the origin of the sound but saw nothing.

She figured she could have been imagining it. She was, after all, off in her own little world.

Not wanting to freak herself out, Estellise continued her work, humming the same random tune she had hummed before.

How many times had Flynn complemented her humming voice?

Flynn Scifo was the master of surprising people, though she figured he never actually knew that. She would be kneeling in the gardens, minding her flowers, when she would hear Flynn say,

"What a lovely singing voice you must have." The words came from behind her.

She spun around instantly, gazing at two men standing above her. One man was tall and lean and covered with a dark stain she couldn't identify due to the poor lighting. The other man was tall and skinny, looking like he hadn't eating in days.

Estellise rushed to her feet, "Who are you?"

"Did we startle you, princess?" the one that spoke had pointed teeth, which looked to have been filed into a sharp point.

"Who are you?" Her effort to sound authoritative disappointed her.

The man with the pointed teeth moved closer, his face inches from hers, "We're friends," he smiled, showing off his piranha smile.

"Speak you're names," Estellise began to back up but the man with pointed teeth caught her arm.

"Don't try to run away, my dear," he began to caress her cheek, "we can't take you to our leader if you run away."

Estellise let out a scream but was quickly muffled by the man's hand, "Don't go doing that, little girl."

The man dragged her towards him, closing the gap between their bodies, "You're such a pretty little thing, aren't you?" He put his mouth next to her ear, hand still preventing her from screaming. He took a deep breath in and released it, almost making Estellise pass out. His breath smelled of iron, like he had been sucking on metal for the past week.

The man began to giggle menacingly to himself, "you smell…nice." He removed his hand from her mouth, and placed his lips upon hers.

Estellise wanted to back away and scream but he restrained her.

"Don't touch her!"

She felt the man be ripped away from her, his lips leaving a disgusting after taste.

The other man, who hadn't said or done anything up until then, reached out and grabbed her wrist quite forcefully, jerking her to his side.

The other man was lying on the ground, laughing to himself, "I've never felt so good before. I want to kill her. I want to kill her."

The man holding her kicked the man on the ground, "You aren't killing her. The General needs her."

Generals? Estellise remembered Raven bringing up the fact that they might be involved. He had said to watch for them at the funeral. So this proved it. The Generals were involved.

The man who had been laughing on the floor stood up and dusted himself off, "I know. But after he uses her I want a go at her," His smile meant all sorts of things that Estellise, herself, never wanted him to act on.

He moved his face close to hers again, "You be a good girl till then, okay?"

Estellise turned her head in an attempt to avoid the smell of his breath.

The man grinned and then looked at his partner, "Well, Rad? Shall we take her away?"

* * *

"_Yuri?"_

_A small blonde, no older than 8, sat at the edge of a wall, feet dangling down where a river flowed only 2 feet below._

"_Huh?" Yuri wasn't sure what he had heard at first. Never in the 2 years he had known his friend had said friend actually talked. Yuri had adopted the idea that his friend was mute, thus fixing the mystery of why the boy never talked. Despite what he thought he heard, he asked, "Did you say something Flynn?"_

_The little boy named Flynn looked over at Yuri, "thanks."_

_Yuri was confused, "For what?"_

_The blonde smiled, "for being my friend."_

"_Wha?" Yuri cocked his head, "Why are you thanking me for that?"_

"_Just 'cuz."_

"_Just 'cuz?"_

"_Yup."_

"_okay, just 'cuz."_

_The two boys went back to sitting in silence, watching the different yellows and oranges descend on the capital, watching the river turn gold under their feet._

"_Yuri?"_

"_Yeah?" He almost didn't answer, still trying to figure out why the blonde hadn't spoken a word in the two years they had known each other._

"_Are we gonna be friends forever?"_

_Yuri didn't even hesitate, "Of course we are!" He made large gestures with his arms, "We've been friends this long, haven't we?"_

"_Yuri, it's been two years."_

"_What's your point? In two more years we'll be 10. We'll practically be grown-ups!"_

"_Really?" The blonde perked up._

"_Do you think I'm lying?"_

_Flynn pondered the dark haired boy's statement, "I guess you wouldn't lie to me."_

"_Nope! And I never will!" Yuri smirked at Flynn who only smiled meekly back. Yuri made a gesture, "when the day comes that I have to lie to you, you can kill me!"_

"_But I could never kill you."_

"_That's how it works!" The young boy pointed a scolding finger at his friend, "And the same goes for you, okay?"_

_The blonde nodded, "Wait, I'll be back."_

_Standing up, Flynn took off down the dusty roads of the lower quarter, leaving Yuri to wonder where he was going._

_Moments passed and the blonde child returned with a piece of paper in one hand a box of crayons in the other._

"_What's that crap for?"_

_Flynn gave Yuri a look, "You aren't a grown up, you can't use those words."_

"_I'm two years away from being a grown up, though."_

_The blonde decided to ignore this truth and laid the piece of paper on the ground. Removing a black crayon from the box, he began scribbling words onto the sheet of white._

"_There!" He held up the sheet of paper, showing it off with pride._

_The first thing Yuri noticed was how much better Flynn's hand writing was, making the dark haired child a little jealous. Then Yuri asked, "What is it?"_

"_It's a friendship contract."_

_Yuri said a silent 'oh' and then spoke aloud, "What does it say?"_

_The blonde, not even glancing at it, recited it form memory, "By our write hand, we have formed a bond that shall live past eternity. We shall fight for justice, for honor and for the people we love. We shall never wrong each other and above all else, remain at each other's side no matter what. This we swear on our write hands, and if ever, either one of us breaks this creed, we will remove our write hand with our own blade."_

_Yuri looked in awe of the contract, taking it into his own hands and examined the text carefully. "What's eternity mean?"_

"_It's like forever."_

"_Oh…"_

"_You spelled 'right' wrong."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_It says 'by our 'write' hand'. It has a 'w' in front of it."_

_Flynn smiled devilishly, "That's 'cuz you're left handed and I'm right handed. I put the word 'write' so it means that the hand you write with is the one you're swearing on. It's also the one you cut off if you mess up."_

_Yuri nodded, feeling empowered by the words spelled out before him._

"_Now," Flynn spoke, pulling out a blue crayon, "We sign in our favorite color."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because that's how we make it official. We sign in our favorite color so people know it's actually us signing it and not someone else."_

_Yuri grinned, "Of course! That makes since! Because everyone else would want to sign it in their favorite color, so even if they wrote our name, it would be in their favorite color and not ours!"_

_Flynn nodded, "exactly."_

_Not wanting to waste time, Yuri grabbed the crayon box and pulled out a purple crayon. Yuri placed the piece of paper between them both and counted down to the signing._

"_3,2,1," The two signed their names, Yuri Lowell and Flynn Scifo. Thus creating a contract that would be forever bonding._

The memory had come to him in a dream, reflecting a time where he wasn't worried about anything but making his friend happy. A time when things were peaceful and the world was decorated with a rainbow of colors.

A time that had long since been destroyed.

He could feel it.

Flynn Scifo was dead.

Anger seeped through his veins as his brain cried out for him to take revenge.

And he would have his revenge, because no one hurt Flynn and lived to tell about it. No one could touch his best friend and get away with it.

Yuri Lowell was now awake and those who wronged him had better watch out.


	13. Sorry

**HELLO AGAIN!** I am really sorry for the LONG wait for this chapter. I was having some trouble trying to figure out how to word it and also, college got in the way XP. Either way, it is out now and I shall be dedicating more time to it ( I have been working on it during my government class, so you all should be very proud of me XD) ANYWAY, I'm glad you've all stayed with this story through its fast updates and not so fast updates XD! and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Next chapter, for all of you Yuri fans, I plan on getting some action going with Yuri and a certain Devil...*Evil Smile* anyway! **READ, ENJOY AND REVIEW!**

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Chapter Thirteen- Sorry

"They're preparing an army. They plan to take over the capital."

"No way," Karol stood quickly, "You can't be serious!"

Sodia spoke, still wheezing, "It's true. General Justice and all of the Generals are taking the capital over, and I'm afraid it might have already started."

The entire room grew cold as everyone let the words sink into their skin. Judith was the first to speak, "How do you know this?"

Sodia simply shook her head, "He told me…Justice told me something big was going to happen." She put her hands on her knees, attempting to catch her breath.

"Wouldn't it have been nice ta know that before hand?" Raven pulled her into the room and closed the door tightly, "Why didn't ya say anythin' to anyone?"

Sodia gasped for breath, but spoke once oxygen filled her lungs again, "I tried. I tried to tell Flynn."

The young mage sighed, "We don't have time for why's and why not's. We need to figure something out, quick."

Karol nodded reluctantly, "You're right, Rita."

"Do you know where Justice and the others are headed? What they're planning?" Judith pressed but Sodia shook her head, speaking, "I'm sorry. I don't know that much."

Raven let out a groan of annoyance but none the less kept his composure, "Then we're outta time. We have ta take those thugs down before they can get control."

The others nodded in agreement. Raven made his way to the door, "Get ready guys. This is gonna be one hell of a fight."

Each person left, leaving Sodia alone in the room. She pondered, if only for a second, about following them and slaying Justice where he stood. But she knew, yes, she knew that there wasn't anything she could do now.

She had made a huge mistake, one so big that she could never be redeemed for it. She would have to live with that scar on her soul.

She had managed to get her Captain killed. She had attempted to tell him, to tell him the truth. That Justice was on the move and that getting him imprisoned would shut down the whole operation for good. Once in jail he could be tried for treason and then hanged. That would be the end of it all and Flynn Scifo would have still been alive.

He would still be there to tell her how important she was and how much he appreciated her working so hard. She would never get to see him smile again and she would never get to say she was sorry.

* * *

Loud noises stirred Yuri out of bed. He could feel his body ache as he rolled himself onto his back and lifted his torso off the comfy mattress that called to him.

Yuri could honestly say he was pissed, the pain and loud noises not being the only thing affecting his mood.

The noises continued to bombard his eardrums, making him want to call upon it to be quiet. He stood up, feeling for the first time something other than warmth hit his toes. The cool tile under his feet was intoxicating, forcing his attention.

With a quick step, Yuri was standing in front of the little closet inside the room. There he changed into his clothing, which he figured had been brought over by Estellise since they carried the smell of flowers, and grabbed his sword, which also had been brought over by Estellise.

Yuri knew what he had to do. He had to find Lou…

Chandler.

The whole conversation was still fresh in his mind. Could he really trust that guy? Yuri had honestly not known what to make of Lou since the beginning, following along only because it was convenient for him. But now knowing that Lou was really General Chandler…

The entire government hated him, why would one man, a general no less, risk his life to save Yuri Lowell?

He shook his head, "This isn't the time," he whispered to himself.

Within a second, the sound of dog whistles echoed throughout the dark haired man's ears.

"What the hell?"

He ran towards the window and saw quickly what that whistle had done.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of men swarmed the castle grounds. Each man was wearing heavy armor colored with maroon and black, making them appear as if they were blood-stained solders ready for war.

"It's them…"

Yuri pulled on his boots and ran out the doorway, finding himself inside the medical bay. He hadn't been there before but he had some idea of where it landing him inside the castle. He took the door out and entered the empty halls.

As he ran, his footsteps echoed on the tile. His thoughts raced as he began to think up some kind of strategy, some sort of plan.

He couldn't rush out there blindly; he didn't even know who the enemy was. Or rather, he wasn't completely sure.

If there was one thing in Yuri's life he never doubted, it was his instinct. Instinct told him that something terrible had happened to Flynn and instinct told him that the Generals were to blame.

His echoing footsteps clamored around the halls, leaving nothing in their wake but noise. The dark haired man felt a nerve of uneasiness tingle through his body. Never in his entire life had he seen the castle so empty. With all of the enemies outside, Yuri figured he would at least see some guards protecting the inside in case a breach should occur.

But nothing was there, nothing but the sound of his feet hitting ground.

He didn't want to know what had happened to them.

* * *

All she could feel was the fear raising in her chest. Terror etching its way onto her heart.

What could they possibly want with her?

She had nothing she could give them besides the candidacy to the throne. Other than that, she was useless.

The man that held her arms had failed to release his grip any, which was what the young princess was hoping for. Instead, he had tightened it, like one does to a child that one knows is prone to running away. The other man…

He reminded her of a monster, something you could only see in a horror film. He was laughing, yes, laughing was the word.

Just under his breath, he was snickering about something. He would talk to himself too, which he didn't even seem to notice. He would speak randomly and in different volumes, sometimes in a different language entirely.

He had to be crazy, she thought. But that made him all the more dangerous.

As she continued to be dragged through the halls she attempted to speak in her defense, "What do you want with me? I can't give you anything."

The crazy man simply smiled, "Just wait until you see the boss, okay sweetheart?"

The man who had been dragging her silently for the past few minutes spoke, "We can kill you. So shut up."

"What do you want with me?" Estellise was growing impatient with them, hating every last bit of them, which was extremely hard for the little princess to do.

"What we want," the crazy man spoke, "is for you to give up the kingdom."

She wasn't following, "I can't do that, I don't own it."

The man laughed, out loud this time, showing off his blood-stained teeth, "We know you don't!"

There was obviously something he found funny and Estellise assumed it was something she wouldn't be laughing at.

"Shut up, Florence," the other man spoke.

"Florence?" Estellise's mind suddenly flashed through a book she had read, "You can't be Florence the Red Devil?"

Florence smiled again, "Why yes, my little dove. I'm so glad you've heard of me." He cracked a dry laugh, sounding like the noise a demon would make.

The terror that had been making it's way into Estellise's heart suddenly entered her brain. Florence the Red Devil was considered the most devious and ruthless killer know in history. Before he was caught, over 100 bodies were credited to him. And after he was captured…

More than 300 victims he took credit for, including the slaughter that was rumored to have happened in Caer Bocrum, but less than half of them were ever found.

And none had ever been entirely found.

She wanted to scream and attempt to escape. Ideas were taking hold of her thoughts, making her begin to panic.

She could feel her heart begin to race and she could barely breathe.

Such a dangerous man she was next too, and with no hope of escape, she was completely at his mercy.

* * *

He could see the door clearly in front of him. The only question that lurked in his mind was if he should go out or stay inside.

To be honest, he didn't have some sort of desperate reason to rush out there and risk his life for the sake of all of the Empire. He also didn't have any strong connections to any particular person here. Was he really willing to fight for the sake of people he didn't care about?

Sadly, it's what she would have done.

The thought of her sent a shiver up his spine. He hadn't seen her in nearly 10 years. Well, to be quite frank, he hadn't ever seen her before, at least until 10 years ago when he kind of met her.

He shook his head, knowing there was no point in trying to reason with himself. He knew what he was talking about so that was all that mattered.

His feet stopped only inches away from the door leading to the massacre occurring outside.

After letting his thoughts race for a few moments, he turned and headed down a different hall.

Hell, he would have to fight. But he wasn't going to do it alone. So maybe he hadn't seen her in 10 years? Maybe he could convince her to fight with him once more.

It could be their last time together, at any rate. He might as well make the best of it.

His feet carried him through the hallways and to a large door. Beside the large door was a card reader, which he knew meant he needed an I.D.

"This is the only way in, right?"

He stood and examined the door for a moment or two and then walked over to the card reader. He had no idea if the data base the card reader was hooked too was updated regularly or not, but he figured his name might still be on that list.

From the back pocket of his skinny jeans he pulled a thin piece of plastic which held his face and rank on it.

He stared at it for a moment, "God I take bad pictures," and he swiped it through.

The little card reader light up green and showed his I.D information.

Chandler L. Vice

Commandant

The door opened and he went inside, leaving the lights off since he knew exactly where she would be waiting.

She would be where she always was, the far end of the hanger. She would be ready to see him, since she always seemed to know when he was coming.

Chandler couldn't wait to feel her body, black and cool to the touch. He wanted to give her a hug and express his love for her, to tell her how he had been thinking about her every day and that once he had gotten back in the capital he was so excited to find a time to come and see her.

God, he thought, she might be anger since I haven't even written her in 10 years.

But he couldn't think about that now, he had to focus on her.

She did, after all, like the attention.

As he reached the end of the dark hanger, he managed his footing carefully. He was well aware that random crap always seemed to be lying around. He knew, from experience, that the ground was rather hard when you fall from a standing position.

"Hey baby, I'm here…"

Chandler listened but didn't hear a reply. Sighing, frustrated, he spoke again, "Hey, I'm sorry, ok?"

He finally reached the end of the hanger, his palm meeting the cold steel of the back wall. The cold sting sent a little shiver up his arm, poking into his brain.

He followed the wall, kicking away any scraps or tools that got in the way until he reached a long counter which held bolts, screws, and a variety of other things he couldn't remember the name too.

Once he reached the counters, he turned towards the darkness from which he had just come from and took 4 steps out. And just where she would always sit, she was there, waiting for him.

"It's nice I'm into a girl who likes consistency," he reached out and touched her coolness and immediately felt a thrill rush through his body.

"Sadly," he spoke, patting her softly, "we don't have time to socialize. We've got a Capital to save."

He heard the door to the hanger swing open and watched as the lights flipped on.

"Figures they would come here, it's the only place that holds the artillery…"

The echoing footsteps carried themselves through the hanger and shouting voices made their way inside, "Secure all of the ammo and weapons you can find!"

He recognized that voice. It belonged to someone who was supposed to be dead, someone he had brought to death's door himself.

General Tao of Naval Command.

But he didn't have time to ponder how the huge man had managed to live after being charred alive, he had to concern himself with getting out before the army that was making its way inside took him prisoner.

He could hear them shouting with surprise as they made their way around the many stationary tanks and grounded planes to see him standing in the back.

"That's General Chandler!" one man shouted.

"Chandler?" came Tao's voice, booming upon the hanger walls. The thundering sound of Tao's footsteps came to Chandler's ears.

"Time to go," Chandler spoke to himself, "Let's get this show on the road, baby!"

As Tao rounded around a group of tanks, Chandler was already making his escape. He had leapt onto a sleek black motorcycle and made his way across the hanger before Tao could even blink.

"That thing…" Tao could see the red glow shimmering from under the hood, and then, suddenly shouting, "Who gave that man a core!"

Chandler simply smirked as he closed the distance of the opposite hanger wall faster than any man could ever accomplish and in one quick, fluid motion, Chandler flipped himself off the motorcycle, which slid to a hasty stop, and slammed his hand against the hanger opener.

The massive metal doors that had once contained the hanger to itself began to open and the violent sounds coming from outside made their way inside.

With a swift whistle from Chandler, the motorcycle began to drive towards him and Chandler made a leap back onto it, riding it outside before Tao could even begin chasing after him.

He could feel his blood pressure spike, but he didn't care. If there was one thing Chandler loved more than his motorcycle, which he lovingly called baby, it was the feeling he got with the wind rushing across his face and the constant hum under him.

The feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins brought back many memories, good and bad. But he didn't have time to worry about those right now. He had to find him.

He had to find Yuri Lowell.

* * *

Yuri wasn't sure if it was the cold reality that was causing his mind to freeze or if it was just the simple cold.

Rain had begun to pour down, washing away the stains that were being scattered across the dirt.

But whichever it was, he knew that this was the harsh reality of things. There was an army of loyal followers to the Generals attacking right at the gate of the castle. They were looking for blood, vengeance and of course, power.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head for the moment, Yuri stayed close to the outer wall of the castle. He had already made his way outside; he didn't want to end up being caught up in all the violence.

He needed to find the leader of the Generals. Maroon and Black had donned the knights who had stormed their way inside, so assuming this person was some sort of egotistical freak, the very leader would be wearing those colors.

Yuri wasn't sure if it was true, but he could feel he was headed in the right direction.

As he rounded a corner, a low-pitched humming sound crossed his path, causing him to step back quickly.

His eyes followed the sound and pin-pointed its location. It was a black vehicle Yuri could swear he had never seen before.

Atop it was a figure, thin but strong.

But before Yuri's mind could question it, the vehicle turned around, dragging the figure low to the ground, and made its way back towards Yuri.

Questions began to flood the dark haired man's mind. Should he run? Should he hold his ground?

In one quick instant, however, those questions were thought in vein. The vehicle had made its way to Yuri before the man had even received a moment to blink.

"Get on!"

"Chandler?"

The maroon and black guards had finally taken notice to the black vehicle and had turned their attention to it.

"Get on," Chandler stated, this time with more force.

Yuri nodded and pulled himself onto the motorcycle, bracing himself behind Chandler as the man revved the engine.

"Get ready for this," Chandler kicked on the power and the motorcycle took off faster than a speeding bullet.

Yuri felt his entire body fluctuate and a strange feeling of joy and fear quickly filled his soul. He felt like he was flying, wind blowing through his hair and everything around him nothing but a blur. It was like nothing he had ever felt before.

But regardless of the fun he was having, he had to ask Chandler some questions, though if he would be able to hear him or not was a different issue.

"Chandler!" He could hear his voice disappear faster than the scenery around them.

"What?"

He was able to hear him? Good.

"Do you know who's behind this?"

"Hell yes, I do."

"Then who?"

"General Justice," his voice sounded colder than the wind.

Yuri struggled to remember if he had ever heard of General Justice. After a few moments of thought, he came to the conclusion that he had never heard of the man before.

But he could care less if he had heard of the man.

Either way, Yuri was out for blood, and blood he was going to get.

The motorcycle circled its way around the castle, finally coming to a stop beside the gardens.

Chandler shook his head, letting the long ponytail float its way back to normal, "From what I understand, they entered through the garden."

"They?" If it wasn't Justice, Yuri could honestly say he could care less.

"Two men, one named Florence the Red Devil and the other named Radley Rory. Both men work under Justice."

Yuri could feel a sense of hate rise up under his skin.

"Those two should lead you to Justice," Chandler pointed towards the garden's entrance.

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. The one named Florence made his way through the castle grounds not that long ago, slaughtering a few guards that got in his way. I think he and his friend were looking for something…"

Yuri heard Chandler's thought trail off so he simply nodded.

Hopping off the motorcycle, he took a few steps, world swirling around him, towards the door.

"Hey," Chandler called out, causing Yuri to turn around, "Be careful."

Yuri nodded once more and took off running towards the garden door.

He had a score to settle with Justice. No one and Yuri meant no one, can hurt his best friend and live to tell about it.

* * *

Chandler waited until Yuri disappeared inside the garden before revving his motorcycle again.

Thoughts collieded in his head as he watched the empty space of the garden door Yuri had gone into. He couldn't help but feel guilty.

He was, after all, lying.

"I'm sorry," Chandler spoke softly as he began to drive away.


	14. Masquerade

FINALLY! I'm sooooo sorry it took forever to get this chapter up! I never thought I would have this much trouble balancing school and fanfiction! not only that, my inspiration was gone! XP it came back though! XD It must have gone on vacation or something, because it was gone a really long time! anyway! Chapter 14 is up and ready to read! I really hope you enjoy it! I didn't get as much action as I thought I would get in this chapter, but next chapter should be REALLY REALLY REALLY interesting! XD So Read, Enjoy and Review! XD THANK YOU FOR BEING SOOO PATIENT! XD YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!

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Chapter Fourteen- Masquerade

Yuri could feel him heart pounding as he made his way through the garden and into the castle. His feet continued to echo off the walls, making the entire hallway come alive.

His mind began creating a plan of sorts.

He had no idea who Florence the Red Devil was, though Chandler had said the name like it had some sort of meaning. The other one…

Radley Rory.

Yuri had absolutely no idea who that was, either. But the way Chandler had said the name, once again, hinted that there was some sort of secret that Yuri was very unaware of.

Florence and Radley.

They were connected to Justice.

Somehow, they knew who Justice was and where to find him.

That was information Yuri was desperate to find out.

As he made his way through the hallways, he was stopped by a wicked sound. He paused in his step to listen. What he heard sounded like the crack of a whip, though he could make it out to be the sound of laughter.

Yuri wasn't sure who could be making that sound, but he figured it was someone bad.

The entire castle had been empty up until now, so it wouldn't make sense to finally run into someone here.

Someone who was laughing maniacally, no less.

Yuri could tell the sounds were coming from around the corner so he approached the corner carefully. He felt his heart rate slow down as he began to breathe less and less, focusing on hearing the sounds around him.

As he peered around the corner, he could make out two men. One was practically falling down laughing; the other appeared to be holding something.

Yuri peaked his head over just a little more and suddenly retracted when he saw what the other man was holding.

He pressed his back against the wall, feeling a flare of anger surge through his blood.

Although he didn't exactly know when it happened, he couldn't help but feel responsible for it. He was supposed to always be there to protect her, but now…

Yuri peered around the corner again, cringing when he saw that Estellise was being held captive by the two.

* * *

Chandler had to try and shake the guilt out of his head. His heart and mind kept telling him to go back and warn Yuri, to help him. But that was a stupid thought.

He couldn't help Yuri now. Yuri was on his own.

As Chandler made his way across the castle grounds, he did his best to take the longest route possible as to avoid getting mixed into all of the mindless fighting.

Yes, people were going to die because of this violence, but it wasn't his problem to try and save as many people as possible. His problem was Justice.

Justice had taken too much liberty in this plan. More liberty than Chandler had ever given him. It had never been Chandler's intention to sack the entire capital in one swoop. He could understand taking it over gradually, perhaps at the quickest, in the span of 5 years, but he never gave the ok to take it over in one siege.

It was a risky plan, and Chandler didn't like risky.

When he reached his destination, he parked his motorcycle and got off. His gaze followed the clean white of the capital building as he began walking towards it.

Justice, regardless of what wrongs he had done to Yuri, belonged to Chandler.

Chandler would be the only one to put the man down.

Justice had over stepped his boundaries in the 10 years Chandler had been gone. Although, Chandler had figured something like this would happen. He knew that, without supervision, Justice would lose control and try and take over without any consent.

It was one of the dangers Chandler had considered before he left, but that was beyond the point now.

He now had to deal with this situation. Put it down before anything else could go wrong.

* * *

If it wasn't the color, it was smell.

The very smell, sight and sound of people dying gave him a thrill he was sure he had never felt. Even with all of his years on the battle field, fighting and killing monsters and people alike, none of that even compared to the feeling right now.

He could honestly say he felt like a god.

He stood in the tallest tower, his heaven, and watched his subjects kill those who would defy him. All he had to do was sit back and watch. He was a god. There wasn't any reason he wasn't.

And who said he would have to stop here. Leave the job done as complete just concerning the Capital? What law or rule said he couldn't go out and take over the rest of continent? What was stopping him from reaching across the sea and taking away the power of the Union in one almighty sweep? And from there?

Well, he didn't want to get carried away but he was practically unstoppable.

No.

He was unstoppable.

He couldn't be defeated.

Everything was perfect. He was perfect. And soon, the world would know who he was. And they would fear him! They would willingly give themselves over to the slaughter and let him single handedly take over the entire world. He would be the one to…

"Justice!"

Every time…He turned, forcing a smile that he knew looked forced. He could honestly say he wasn't exactly happy to see her.

Flanoir was a good puppet, always willing to throw herself in the fire, but he couldn't stand to talk to her. He knew that she was rather fond of him, in fact, he was pretty sure everyone knew that.

She was never good at hiding things that related to her personal life.

Of course, maybe she wanted it that way.

Maybe she was being more and more forward in an attempt to get him to notice.

Well, he figured he would eventually mention to her that he was already well aware of this fact and that no, he wasn't interested.

There was only one woman that had managed to capture his attention, and it sure as hell wasn't Flanoir.

"What is it?" He finally asked when she hadn't responded to his reaction.

"The generals want to speak immediately. They need to discuss the advancing army…"

He knew what she was saying. The few generals that he hadn't managed to persuade wanted an emergency meeting to discuss plans to push back the advancing army. Well, no matter. He knew it was going to come sooner or later.

Some of the old generals might have put the whole thing together, while others simply needed help pushing back his onslaught of angelic warriors.

Justice had to laugh to himself, knowing full well that he was, indeed, going to succeed in the end.

"Alright," He turned from the view that he was so enjoying, "I'll go entertain the fools."

With a smirk on his face he began descending the stairs that spiraled up to his little heaven. He had to focus right now. Justice had to walk into the conference room as cool as a cucumber, though not so cool that he looked like he was swinging with the enemies, but calm enough to make himself look like himself. He was Justice, after all.

Renowned for the power, influence and mere strength he possessed, Justice was truly the proper name for him. He was the justice that would rain down from Heaven and smite those who would stand in his way.

He would reform the world.

He and he alone.

No one could stand in his way. No one, not even Chandler Vice or Yuri Lowell.

* * *

Yuri Lowell knew he had two options. He could wait and see what happened, following closely behind hoping they wouldn't hurt her and at the same time lead him straight to Justice. Or he could charge them now, save Estellise and keep only one alive, using the last man standing to lead him to Justice. It was a tough choice, both had their benefits and both had their downfalls.

He shook his head. As far as Yuri was concerned, this wasn't a choice to be made with any self-interest involved. There was no reason the two men would keep Estellise alive, at least as far as he knew. If Yuri didn't do something now, he was jeopardizing Estellise.

As the one man laughed and the other stood in silence, Yuri slid his sword out of his sheath quietly to try and keep any sort of noise from coming forth.

He laid the sheath down on the floor, the man's laughing masking the light click it made, and stood as still and close to the wall as possible. If there was one thing going for the dark haired man, it was the element of surprise. They hadn't noticed him. Yet.

Yuri needed to strike quickly, going for the man that was holding Estellise first. It would be too dangerous to let Estellise stay in someone's hands when Yuri made an attack. For all he knew, she was simply a disposable tool.

He readied himself, feeling his muscles tense under his skin, feeling his adrenaline begin to pound through his head, making him dizzy.

He could hear the laughing calm down, settling into a quite giggle, almost inaudible.

"Are you done?" the one that hadn't been laughing spoke.

His voice made Yuri shutter more than the other man's laughing. The man's voice was cold and void of any real emotion. He didn't even sound human…

The dark haired man shook his head and then readied his stance.

He began to count down in his head, listening closely to the conversation as it moved along. The man who had been laughing was now arguing to the quite man. Yuri waited till the conversation reached its peak, where the moment was the most tense, where the two men would be so focused on each other they wouldn't even notice Yuri round the corner.

The conversation began to intensify and Yuri could feel the rhythm of the conversation begin to take shape.

With all his experience with arguing with Flynn, he knew that the conversation would eventually fall into a back and forth that was so constant, it could be followed.

It began to fall into a pattern. The laughing one would shout something and then the quite one would mumble something in return, thus making the laughing one go off again.

Now.

Yuri rounded the corner, using his legs to carry him across the tile and towards Estellise.

He had to grab her. He had to get her out of the way.

Before the two men even noticed Yuri, he had made his way to Estellise and was tugging her out of the quite man's arms.

"Oh shit!" the laughing man shouted as he noticed Yuri land his footing nearly 20 feet away. Yuri pushed Estellise behind him and turned to glare at the two men.

"Well, good job, Rad," the laughing man spoke, scratching his head.

So the quite one was Radley Rory? That could only mean…

Florence was the laughing man.

Yuri's eyes scanned the man's demeanor. He seemed calm after laughing so hard but his eyes were dark, reflecting almost nothing. His light skin and blood red hair made Yuri wonder how many days this man spent inside. Yuri also noticed the copper color streaked across the man's clothes and hands.

He didn't look normal, which began to bother Yuri. Chandler had made a connection to Florence, one that Yuri was extremely unaware of, but none the less, existed.

"So, kid," Florence tilted his head to one side, placing his hands on his knees, "What are you doing here?"

Yuri raised an eyebrow, feeling tension begin to rise. Florence was talking to him as if he was a child, lost on the way home from school. That didn't sit well with him, but he stayed silent as to ponder Florence's next move.

"Don't talk much?" Florence mocked, kicking out a giggle. He twisted his entire body backwards, reemerging to glare at Yuri. "I didn't take you as a talker," his eyes were steely, reflecting Yuri's image.

Yuri scoffed.

"You're like Radley here," the devil pointed towards the other redhead who was watching Yuri and Estellise very carefully. "You see," he shifted his weight; "I don't like it when I do all the talking because people have told me that I talk too much."

"Then just shut-up."

"What?" Florence glanced at the light-haired princess who had just made a noise. She shuffled her way behind Yuri, peaking over his shoulder to make eye contact.

"You heard the girl," Yuri finally spoke, his voice commanding authority, "Shut-up and leave. Or I'll make you."

Florence let out a laugh, chuckling at the mere thought, "You'll make me? Who do you think you are?"

"You probably don't know me. But that 's fine because I don't know you."

"Is that so?"

Yuri let a smile cross his lips, a mocking, confident smile, "You can call me Yuri. Yuri Lowell."

"What a cute name," Florence was giving a half smile, "Yuri Lowell, huh?"

Radley spoke then, "Yuri Lowell. Flynn Scifo's friend?"

What's with his voice? Yuri had never heard a voice that sounded so cold. He sounded like he was bored, like this whole situation was just a show for him.

Yuri scoffed, "do you know him?"

Florence smiled but Radley was the one to speak, "I killed him."

Yuri couldn't hide the shock from his face. Flynn was dead? He could feel it, that something was off with Flynn, but dead? He was dead? And this man, Radley Rory, was the one who killed him? How much had Yuri missed while he was out cold?

Stop it. He couldn't do this right now. Definitely not now.

Yuri gripped the hilt of his sword, "You killed Flynn?" The words didn't feel right in his mouth, like he was speaking in a different language. After he spoke, Florence broke out laughing, his giggling breaking the tension in the hall.

Radley's glance fell towards Florence, who was doing his best to not fall to the floor in a fit of laughs.

"What are you doing?" Radley didn't seem fazed by the random outburst, but it was getting to Yuri.

"Oh, Radley," Florence spoke after he took a moment to catch his breath, "he's just so funny."

Yuri didn't sense any humor in the laughing man's voice. Instead, he could feel a thick slab of sarcasm smeared across the surface of his words. For whatever reason he had decided to laugh, it wasn't about the statement Yuri had made. This was unsettling and Yuri could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight.

Florence looked at Yuri, his eyes reflecting the same red shade of his hair, "well, Mr. Lowell, shall we dance?"

* * *

"Take this!"

A large axe slammed down on one of the armored foes, crushing the maroon and black and unleashing a wave of red.

Karol had been attacking people for hours and from the looks of it, he had more hours to go.

A huge column of fire shot up, mere inches away from his toes. Agonizing screams could be heard through the fire, but when the fire stopped, roasted corpses were the only remains.

"Rita, you nearly killed me!"

"Don't complain or next time it won't be nearly!"

Karol shivered. Rita, he knew from experience, was as scary, if not more so, than the massive army in front of them.

Karol scanned the crowd, maroon and black mixed together with blues, greens, reds, oranges and all other colors one could think of. The entire Imperial force was outside fighting the followers of Justice. Even though Karol couldn't comprehend how one man had managed to gather so many people for his cause, he did know that there wasn't a second chance for this stuff. His friends, and himself, would have to defeat the enemy before Justice could gain control of the capital.

Another spell whizzed past Karol's ear, and he almost turned around to complain again. But holding his mouth closed, he let it slide. She did, after all, say it wouldn't be nearly next time.

* * *

"Estelle, step back," Yuri's voice was steady even though he could feel fear begin to rise in his chest. He had planned on taking one of them out after grabbing Estellise, but that hadn't happened. He was now in a two to one battle with opponents he couldn't even guess the strength of.

Estellise did as she was told, stepping back and pressing her back against the wall. The swordsman could feel her anxiety growing, but he couldn't disagree with her feelings. She knew who Florence was and was scared of him. Yuri knew you didn't need to know the reasons to feel fear, though.

"Rad, let this battle be a one on one," Florence smiled, pointed teeth gleaming red from his resent kills, "He looks like he might be fun to play with."

Stay calm. Focus on the enemy.

"Let's go and try not to bore me!" The words left Florence's mouth at the same time he thrust his body towards Yuri.

Raising his sword, Yuri blocked the punch coming from the devil's left arm. "To slow," a right hook smashed into Yuri's chin, sending him back a few steps.

He rubbed his sore chin, not letting his eyes leave Florence's movements. This man was fast, that was for sure. He pondered his next actions carefully, and then he moved.

Yuri ran towards his opponent, swinging his sword down, flipping it into his other hand and then slamming it down again. Florence dodged, dropped to the floor and threw his leg under Yuri's.

The dark haired man fell to the floor hard. From the corner of his eye, he saw Florence jump up and position himself to strike at the helpless Yuri.

Using all of his strength, Yuri rolled away, narrowly missing a fist to the face.

As he stumbled to a stop on the ground, his head was slammed into the tile floor. Pain shot in every direction of his face. He could feel the tile scratch and claw away at his flesh, leaving red liquid trails behind.

Yuri attempted to jolt his head up, but pressure was being applied.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Florence stated mockingly, ushering a swift kick to Yuri's side. The strength of the kick sending him quite a distance down the hall.

He could barely hear Estellise shriek as he flew down the hall. His head pounding and his eardrums ringing, he hardly noticed anything at all. Silence cupped his ears for a moment as he got himself orientated. He looked up from his face down position, struggling to open his eyes from the sting of iron.

Florence was giggling to himself as he walked closer to Yuri.

Sword…Where's my sword. Yuri groped the nearby area, attempting to locate his sword. Nothing graced his fingers though, until a boot came down hard on left hand.

He let out a scream and looked towards his pain-stricken hand.

"I'm sorry, was that your hand?"

"You bastard," Yuri used the pressure being kept on his left hand to swing his body across the floor and right under Florence's feet. With a grunt, Florence fell to the ground, nearly landing on top of Yuri.

With a flip and a twirl, Yuri was back on his feet. The heel of his boot stable on the ground, he flung his leg into the air and drove it into Florence's stomach.

A wince, almost resounding with glee, came from the devil beneath him. Yuri used the few seconds he had to spot his sword and then he took off running.

Florence shifted his body upright and followed closely after.

"Don't think you can run!"

The dark haired man dove, arm outreached. It wasn't the best plan, he'd admit, with the blade towards his lunging arm. As his hand hit marble, the sword snagged against his sleeve, sending the blade into the arm of his shirt. Wasting no time, he quickly rolled to his back, pulled out the sword and thrust it upward towards his assailant.

For a moment, Yuri thought he had missed. Silence echoed through the halls, Estellise not even making a sound. Then it started dripping down his sword.

Crimson red, like the color of the demon's eyes. It was all Yuri could look at. Just where had he stabbed Florence?

Yuri followed his sword upward, only to see a different man standing above him.

Deep red hair covered his face, unlike Florence who wore it slicked back. The man's eyes were only focused on the blade of the sword, which had entered the man's right chest cavity. None the less, his eyes were dark, shadow's etching their way inside.

Look…

The swordsman's eyes travelled sideways, towards the floor. Florence had been knocked back.

That could only mean the man Yuri had stabbed was Radley.

Although Yuri couldn't begin to guess why Radley had stepped in for Florence after the last display of their "friendship", Yuri knew this was a good opportunity for him.

Yuri took a breath, ready to push the sword deeper into the man's chest when Radley's hand shot up and gripped the blade.

"You nearly killed Florence," Radley spoke, his voice even and unchanging.

Contemplation over the man's voice didn't do Yuri any good, so he decided to ignore it. Instead, he found words to speak, "And I would have if you wouldn't have decided to die instead."

To that, Radley didn't say anything. A heavy sigh from his mouth told Yuri something was up.

Florence, who had gotten up while the two had been chatting, smirked his creepy smirk. He didn't seem to mind the blood across his lips, "Rad, are you going to take care of him? That's no fun."

Radley didn't speak so Florence took that as a sign to continue, "I wanted to play with him and here you are, taking all my fun away."

"He would have killed you," Radley spoke, eyes never leaving the entry spot of the sword.

"Well…maybe."

"Denying his strength will get us both killed."

"What happened to your 'kingly' resolve?"

Yuri saw Radley's eyes dart in the direction of Florence, who was grinning his bloody toothed grin. He almost thought Radley would finally shift his position and go after Florence with such a look in his eye, but Radley didn't move. He stood, only his eyes making some sort of appeal to the words Florence had spoken.

He wasn't exactly clued in on the situation, but Yuri could sense a tension between the two, like Florence had spoken a taboo of sorts.

Finally, Radley spoke, "You don't know what you're talking about. So just stick with what you do best."

Taking Yuri off guard, Radley yanked the sword away from his chest.

Now.

Yuri pulled his legs close to his body. Using the momentum he had behind his pull, he flipped onto his feet and drove the sword upward. He was aiming for Radley's head and at this distance, he couldn't miss.

In the sweep of a moment, Yuri's mind froze.

Radley managed to dodge, but had suffered a major scratch across his face. The blood sprayed everywhere, mingling in Radley's cloths and hair.

But the successful strike wasn't what caught Yuri's attention.

As Radley stumbled backwards, hand to his face, a small glimpse of color twinkled just out of Yuri's sight.

The blood oozed over the red head's hand so he began to flick the blood from his hand onto the floor.

"Wow, what a cheap shot," Florence spoke, but it was drowned out by all the commotion going on in Yuri's head.

It wasn't possible, was it? What he was seeing just now. It wasn't possible.

But Yuri knew it was true.

Radley Rory wasn't a red head, he was a blonde.


	15. Truth

I AM SOOOO SORRY IT HAS TAKEN SOOO LONG TO GET THIS CHAPTER UP! I really can't apologize enough for the fact I keep not updating! XC I do have time during school now that I can type without any other worries so I do plan on using that time to the fullest to get this done! I have had so many other ideas for a million other fanfictions that I've been working on them as well so I don't forget them! XP This is my top priority, though, and I won't be posting any other story but this one until this one is finished! I've also had to go back and re-work this story a billion times because i get new ideas for it and such. BUT I HAVE FINALLY REACHED THE PART I WANTED TO TYPE SO BADLY SINCE CHAPTER ONE! The climax is coming so i can' t wait to write that part!

This chapter is also much shorter than any of the others. I had intended on getting a little bit more in here but i told myself, "JUST F-ING POST SOMETHING! YOU'RE FANS ARE GONNA THINK YOU'RE DEAD!" so I'm posting it. It does have a lot of important info! XD ANYWAY, other than school getting in the way and my grandmother's health (she's been sick off and on so that's also been an issue) I should be getting the next chapter posted soon! Orangepotato can keep me on my toes (we go to the same college). XD ANYWAY! PLEASE READ, ENJOY AND REVIEW! XDXDXD

* * *

Chapter Fifteen- Truth

Yuri stood still, mind focused only on the redhead turned blonde in front of him. The blood was working its way through his hair, ripping the red dye away and leaving only tuffs of blonde.

Florence let out a laugh, finding the entire show funny. Radley, however, scowled.

Between fits of giggles, Florence spoke, "Nice hair…Blondie."

With a gaze that could kill, Radley glared at Florence, his blue eyes matching the color of the raging ocean. "Don't talk about it."

"Or what?"

Was Florence anything close to intelligent? Yuri couldn't help but ponder the man's demeanor in front of his "friend". They were probably being forced to work together, was the only conclusion Yuri could come up with.

Radley continued to flick the red blood and paint away from his head, revealing more blonde.

Florence snorted, "I haven't seen you with blonde hair for a while there, Rad."

"I said don't talk about it!" Ignoring his injury, Radley threw a fist towards Florence, catching the freak off guard. The fist was planted in Florence's jaw, throwing him against the wall.

Radley didn't stop, though. He ran forward, slamming his fists into Florence again and again.

By now, Florence had time to react, catching one of the fists and twisting it sideways.

As the entire event transpired, Yuri had made his way to Estellise who had only been standing in shock at the entire outflow of blood.

"Estelle, are you ok?"

"Yuri…you're face…it looks awful!" She began to cast a healing spell but Yuri interrupted her, "Not now."

Although she wanted to protest, she nodded instead. Yuri glanced towards the two men, who were now in a heated discussion, and then looked back at the princess.

"I need to figure out where Justice is."

"Yuri…"

Her voice barely reached his ears when he turned his back to head towards the two men, "What?"

"Justice…he was the one who…" She stopped herself, but Yuri already knew the rest. Justice was in control of these two, meaning he was the one who wanted Flynn dead.

But that wasn't the entire truth. It couldn't be. Here he was now, standing in front of him. Flynn Scifo was in the room.

* * *

The entire group of generals gathered in a small conference room, whispers smearing against the air. The conversations, though from different people on different sides of the room, were about the same thing, the onslaught of Maroon and Black soldiers attacking the front walls of the palace.

As conversations buzzed, Justice entered the room. His lips with a slight downward tilt and his brow just a tad furrowed, he gave the impression of concern, which many of the other generals believed.

"Justice, it's so good you're here," the eldest general spoke, his words barely loud enough to hear. Justice nodded an agreeing nod, though he really didn't care, and sat down next to the gentleman he so wanted to kill.

Discussion continued, everyone ignoring Justice completely. To be honest, he didn't appreciate it. But he sat silent, just the same.

Finally an elder general, not the one he was sitting by but probably just as old, stood and spoke, "This is a dire situation we find ourselves in. An enemy army is advancing on our palace and we are nearly left defenseless."

The room finally grew quiet, Cold air replacing the conversations.

"Our armies are at war with these new enemies but they are not winning. Zaphias needs you, the trusted and respected generals, to stand up and fight. We would not call on you unless we felt it was needed. But the situation today is grave and the captains on the field have told me that, without reinforcements, the enemy will gain the advantage by tomorrow morning."

Justice had to hold back his smile. Tomorrow morning? That was better than even he had predicted. Did these old fools really believe that sending in some of the best warriors would somehow turn the tide of battle? What morons. Their old age must have been catching up with them. His lips twisted ever so slightly upward, but he quickly forced them down again.

Control. That was the key. He knew he could laugh in their faces later, right before slitting their throats, actually.

"Prepare for battle, my generals!"

Why wait? What was making him wait? Tomorrow morning and the capital would be his. So why wait? Why spare these worms until they reach the field? Why not end their pitiful lives now?

This time he couldn't hold it back. The thought was just too much fun to think about. What was making him wait? He was, that's what. He controlled everything, he didn't need a go-ahead to slaughter the top generals. He didn't need permission. He was god. He could make those decisions for himself.

He smiled, dark thoughts parading in his brain. What fun there was to be had.

* * *

"Flynn?"

The name made him turn quickly, eyes glaring into Yuri's.

"It is you, isn't it?"

"Yuri, what are you talking about?" Estellise was now very confused, feeling fear begin to rise in her chest once again.

The redhead turned blonde spat, "And so what?"

"Flynn, what are you doing?"

"What are you doing, Yuri?"

Yuri only deepened his glare, "Why are you working with the bad guys, Flynn? What happened to protecting the people?"

"Shut up, Yuri," he pushed his fingers through his hair, ripping away more red dye as the blood moved further into his hair.

Estellise couldn't take it anymore, "Flynn, what has gotten into you? Why did you kidnap me? Why are you working with Florence?"

"I don't have to answer you."

And Yuri didn't think he could get any more angry, "You may not have to answer to her but you damn well have to answer to me! What the hell is going on, Flynn?"

"What's going on?" the blonde let out a laugh, a teasing laugh, "I'll tell you what's going on. While you were in prison, this bastard was torturing me," He made a painful point towards Florence, "And while you were paying for the crimes you always commit, Justice was re-educating me. He told me that this entire government is corrupt, every single person tainted by greed."

Flynn took a deep breath and then continued, "And you know what? He's right! He's right! He's right! He's right! Every single damned soul in this government is corrupt and every single one of them should die. Justice's world order will succeed after the fall of Zaphias and I won't stop until I can create the world he has promised! And if that means killing my former friends, then so be it."

"Flynn, you're insane! Can you even hear yourself talking? The Flynn I know isn't this god damn arragont!"

"The Flynn you know doesn't exist anymore."

Florence cut in, "Well, Rad, shouldn't we be getting the little princess to her tower?"

"You're right, Florence. You take Estellise and I'll deal with Yuri myself."

"Like hell I'm gonna let you take Estelle."

Flynn took hold of his sword, charging Yuri, "Then I guess you'll have to die first!"

Yuri flicked his sword into the path of Flynn's sword, a clang filling the air. The blonde didn't hesitate, swiping his leg in a circle at Yuri's mid section.

He pulled back but Flynn followed suit. The two swords sang out in rapid beats, each louder than the other. Yuri could see it, behind those blue eyes a rage more rabid than a storming sea was bubbling forth.

Whatever Justice had said…Flynn now believed it fully.

Sickining pain roared through Yuri's arm. He through himself on the ground, avading the continued slashes from Flynn. The blonde tripped over Yuri, Yuri using this time to roll away and pull himself up on the wall.

His breath was rapid and he could feel his heart pounding against his chest. This wasn't going to be easy. And chances were that one of them wasn't going to make it away from this battle alive.

* * *

"There is a traitor among you!"

Every general froze at the shout. The words like ice on everyone's neck. The voice had come from nowhere, echoing through the crowded room.

The elder general who was standing looked around, placing his hand on his old hilt. The other generals followed suit. "Who's there?" He shouted.

No answer came.

Justice felt tense. Who the hell was there? Maybe it was a trick of the mind? No, everyone else heard it too. It wasn't a voice he could recognize, but he knew he had heard it before. He stood up, "Show yourself!" His voice surprisingly calm compared to the shambles of his mind.

"You know me, Justice. I have no reason to show myself."

The generals all stood now, swords drawn.

"Listen well. There is a traitor among you. He plays servant but impersonates god, an unholy snake in disguise."

"Why don't you come out, you coward!" Justice could hear the strain in his voice; did the others notice it too? His exterior calm, his mind racing, Justice felt the control and calm he had held only moments earlier dissipate into nothing.

"This traitor is none other than you!"

In one swift motion, a man was standing on the table, clad in black and red with a colorful mask, smiling in a childish way. In the quickest of movement, he pulled out a sword, thin as a pencil but sharp as a dagger. It's long end was pointed directly at Justices throat, only inches away from making a fatal slice.

The man's entire body ridged with tension, Justice followed the blade up to the hand of its master, then followed the arm up to the face. The mask blocked off most of the man's face, but his eyes could still be seen. They were filled with anger and hate.

"You, Justice, are a traitor."

The generals only stared and watched, horrified at the accusation.

"Justice…Is this true?" the oldest general asked as he fumbled away from Justice and the man.

Panic was setting in, but he couldn't let it consume him. He had to remain calm. Maybe there was a way to salvage the situation. He had managed to pay most of them to ignore him, leaving him be to do as he wished, though some were completely unaware of his treachery, making this event even more of a shock. He had to remain calm, had to stay focused.

"Why would this be true?" Justice added a hint of disgust in his voice, attempting to sound just as disgraced at the accusation as the old men must have been. "What proof does this man have?"

The man with the sword leaned in closer, the tip of the long blade just tapping the skin of Justice's neck. "All the proof I need is outside, sir."

The room became even more quite.

"Outside, you'll see thousands of men marching towards the castle, all wearing maroon, black and white. You will also notice that Justice has been absent from the immediate area for a long while, his second making the trips around the castle to make sure he isn't needed."

"That's ridicules," before Justice could say any more, the man spoke again.

"Is it?" He pressed the sword slightly into Justice's neck, a trace amount of blood trickling its way towards his collar. "Most of the generals in here already know this fact. You've paid them to be quite. Paid them so they would turn a blind eye to your deviance, but I'm sure none of them ever imagined that you would go this far. None of them thought that you, of all people, would resist the government and attack the very castle you swore to protect!" The blade shifted, nearly digging deeper into the flesh if it wasn't for Justice throwing himself to the left.

With another swipe the blade almost made contact, "Where do you plan to run, Justice?"

Without words, Justice readied his sword to fight, "I don't plan to go anywhere."

"Then you'll fight me?"

"I'm not alone," Many of the generals readied themselves as well, weapons pointed towards the man, "do you really think you can handle all of us?"

"I know you won't let them take the credit."

"Shut up."

The man shook his head and laughed, "Still trying to look so tough."

"What are you talking about?"

"Justice, it's been 10 years since I last saw you. 10 years since you sentenced me to that hell hole of a cavern to 'dig for gold'. I'll tell you one thing, you wasted your time. There wasn't anything there besides a crap load of monsters and a couple weeds. You, of course, already knew that."

A general Justice didn't recognize spoke up, "It can't be…can it?"

"It can be," the man said. With a swift movement, he ripped the mask off his face, a steely gaze replacing its colorful smile.

Justice couldn't stop staring. Toa had mentioned it earlier, saying that he found the man alive. Justice himself met the man at the city gates, but the shock was still there. This man had indeed come back for revenge. He had no intention of letting things slide. His old friend, who orchestrated the entire idea of taking over the government. His old mentor, who taught him to fight to reach the top no matter what. His old role model, the man he had once strived to be himself.

Chandler Vice.


	16. The Ending Theory

Chapter sixteen is finally up! XD Sorry for the wait, but i just get so apathetic during this time of year! Schools almost out ( I still have two research papers to write :P) and it's my favorite season, spring! I've also be so absorbed in other things. Band's been interesting, we're playing "The Hounds of Spring", which requires a lot of practice time from me. I've also gotten really into a Baccano! fanfiction i'm working on and it's been consuming my life...IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED BACCANO! GO WATCH IT! It's a great anime, and that way, once this is done you can all read my Baccano! fanficiton! XD Just saying... I'm also thinking about a possible sequel for this one. We're getting somewhat close to the end of this...(possible 20 chapters) and this chapter slapped me in the with a sequel idea (The title would be 'The Ending Theory'). Either way, I've been busy with a lot of stuff. But this, as stated before, is a fanfiction i'm not giving up on! I want to get this finished before I start posting other fanfictions! So Read, Enjoy and REVIEW!

PS-please excuse any errors you find. I didn't read through this before posting (so there might be some big ones, hopefully not). I'm so apathetic, I just wanted to get this posted!

PPS-I also haven't said this in a while, I OWN NOTHING! I only own Chandler, Florence, Justice (who has some serious issues) and other OC characters that arn't in the real Vesperia! Just in case anyone go confused XD

* * *

Chapter Sixteen- The Ending Theory

Yuri watched the blonde struggle to get up, still bleeding from the previous head injury he had gotten. Flynn was crazy. He had somehow lost his mind, most likely when he was 'killed' by a mysterious intruder. That simple fact made Yuri even angrier. Fire coursed through his veins as he looked at his former best friend.

What could have possibly happened to make him hate the capital so much? Had he been brain washed? Tortured? Maybe he had to do this because Florence was watched? Any and all possibilities made Yuri feel sick to his stomach.

"Flynn," Yuri tried, "what has gotten into you?"

"Nothing has gotten into me," he said, now standing up. With his sword stiffly in his hand he raised the blade.

"Flynn, we don't have to fight."

"If you surrender and let me kill you, we don't have to fight. Otherwise, we do battle," Flynn's eyes were no longer the innocent blue they had been once before. They were now a dark gray void in his head, sucking up matter and interpreting it into sight. The smile the blonde always wore was gone, buried deep inside his face, only a frown crossing now.

"Flynn," Yuri could see there was really no point. Flynn wasn't going to listen and neither was he going to back down. Yuri had only two options.

Defeat Flynn and hope he came to his senses or kill him.

* * *

Chandler stood there, still as a board. To justice, he must have been a ghost, something long lost and never scene finally come to reappear in sight.

Chandler wished he had a camera right now, because Justice's face was priceless. His usually tame face was now frozen stiff in absolute horror. Who would have guessed that one day Chandler would be looking down on his former pupil, friend and comrade with such disgust. It was like something out of a novel, the ultimate irony. The ultimate revenge.

"Justice, it's been a long time."

"What are you doing here?" Justice's face contorted even more, into an expression Chandler didn't really recognize.

"I'm visiting my old friend, you knew I was back in town, right?" How could Justice not know, was more Chandler's question. Chandler had been the one greeting him and Yuri at the gate and now…

Well, Chandler was the one greeting Justice at his demise.

Another general spoke up, interrupting their conversation, "Chandler Vice? Is that you?"

Chandler didn't want to role his eyes, "Yes, it's me. Back from cave diving."

Justice got his voice, "How dare you come in here and threaten me. Chandler Vice or not, you have no right to point your sword at me."

"Is that so?" Chandler flicked the end of his sword, the trickles of blood flying to the ground, "Justice, I've known you since we were kids and I know that of all the people in here, YOU have the least amount of right to be pointing a sword at someone."

Justice did his best to hold up, "generals! We should take action now! Let's kill this man!"

Asera's voice entered, "But Justice, you're the evil one." Her pink and purple armor almost blinded Justice as he looked her way.

Chandler now could see there was at least one general who wasn't on Justice's side, and it was Asera. He couldn't remember saying more than a couple of words to her, but she was willing to stand with him anyway.

Justice retorted the statement, "I'm not the evil one, he is!" With his free hand he pointed at Chandler, who didn't seem to care all that much about the accusation.

Asera answered, "he's not the one who's paid everyone off to let you and your army of warriors attack the castle!"

Chandler added, "Isn't it odd that the mysterious warriors that attack you wear the same colors and Justice?"

With a fury in his voice, Justice said, "That's not true! I have nothing to do with this!"

As if on cue, Tao came slamming through the door, massive body blubbering its way into the small conference room, "Justice! Chandler's here! He's in the building!"

Justice's head swirled over to the giant man, "Tao!"

The blubbery figure caught his breath slowly, breaths heaving in and out, "I tried to kill him but he got away. He might be after you…" It was only then that Tao noticed his surroundings. Every general was standing there, eyes wide with a curious anger.

Panic streaked across Justice's features, "Tao, what are you talking about?" a half laugh exited his lungs but it came off sounding far to nervous.

Tao chose his next words carefully, "I don't know?"

Not a very good choice of words. Chandler spoke up, "It's nice to see you again, Tao. It's only been a couple days, right? Since the last time you tried to kill me, that is."

A general spoke up, "Justice, what is the meaning of this?"

Silence fell upon the room as everyone waited for Justice to speak, "I guess there's no point in hiding it now, what with Tao running in here and crying wolf."

Another general, "Justice, you can't mean…"

"That's right, you dirty old man. I'm the one who's sent his army of angels upon the castle. And I'm the one who, at the end of the day, will reign supreme."

Justice continued, raising his arms in the air, sword still gripped in hand, "you are all fools, sick, disgusting fools, who don't even know what's happening. How easily you fell into my trap, and without even knowing it! You see, I was destine to rule this world and I was destine to take it over! Fighting against me now will only cause your death! My dear generals and ex-general, you have two options! Fight with me and be victorious and help usher in a new age of prosperity, or oppose me and die slowly at my hand."

"Justice, you're crazy!" a general shouted but he laughed at the words.

"Crazy? Me? I'm not crazy, I'm a visionary! You only see this as bloodshed, while I see this as the dawning of a new era! One where everyone will be equal, and I shall rule as god! No one can stop me! It's my right! It's my destiny!"

"I think we've heard enough," Chandler interrupted, causing Justice to throw his attention to the ex-general.

"What was that?"

"I think," he stated, "we've heard enough."

Justice grew furious at the statement, "Then you'll be the first to die!" With a swift movement of his arm, Justice swung his sword, crashing it against Chandler's.

Chandler pushed back, shoving Justice backwards. That didn't stop him though, and he threw himself at the ex-general.

Justice's sword smashed against the table Chandler had been standing on. With a swift glance upward, he saw Chandler, "Oh heaven, who's song burns bright,"

Justice yanked his sword away from the table and tossed himself against the wall as the last bit of Chandler's spell came forth, "turn my enemy to nothing!"

A large spiral of fire shot down from where Chandler was, burning the table in an instant. Other generals moved away, some heading to exits while others headed towards Justice. Justice found his voice, "My generals! Our revolt starts today!"

A number of them sprang to life, attacking the generals who were headed towards Justice.

Flanoir swung her sword out, knocking it against Asera's twin swords. Flanoir hissed, "You think you can hurt Justice? I won't let you!" She pushed against the block, throwing Asera backwards.

The fire tower in the middle of the room finally died away and Chandler landed on the ground. the moment his feet hit concrete the thrust himself forward towards Justice, who blocked the attack nicely.

"You really think you can win, Chandler?"

"10 years ago you couldn't stand against me."

"10 years have passed and now I'm stronger."

"So am I," chandler pulled back, swinging to his left, catching Justice off guard. The sword embedded itself into Justice's ribs and he winced as the pain shot up and through his body. Justice gripped the sword tighter, shoving it into his former friend's ribcage, "Oh heaven, whose words are true," Chandler began but Justice cut him off, swiping his sword into Chandler's left side.

"Oh heaven, whose words are true, spread forth into my glory!" a rip of light came off of Justice's blade, skidding into Chandler's side. With a yelp, he pulled himself away from the sword, taking his weapon out of Justices injured side.

With a smirk, Justice talked, "Did you think I would let you cast a spell on me? You taught me everything I know! You can't cast a spell on me and expect me to get hit by it, now can you…Chandler."

The way he said Chandler made Chandler frown. It was long and drawn out, almost mocking him the way Justice had so many times when they were younger. Chandler shook it off. He needed to take Justice out and call of his army before they broke through the palace walls. It was a test of will that Chandler knew he couldn't loose.

"I did teach you everything you know," Chandler said, swiping his sword to one side, blood dancing off its tip, "But just because I taught you everything you know doesn't mean I taught you everything I know."

Justice's eyes widened with the realization of Chandler's words.

"O weak soul who grips at death," Chandler pointed his sword directly at Justice, "dance with me in a traitorous waltz."

In an instant, Chandler's sword turned black as night, thin wisps of darkness shedding off of it and around his arm. The black mist began to encompass the room, catching everyone's attention.

Justice could barely find words, "What is this…"

"This," Chandler said, looking Justice in the eyes, "is the end."

* * *

Black rain began to pour down, and Raven knew it wasn't good. "Judith, Karol, Rita, let's get outta here!"

The wind started to pick up, whipping around each body in a sort of dance. Raven felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as the wind began to whisper, words he didn't understand, but words none the less.

Judith made her way over to him, "What's going on?"

Raven didn't seem to hear her, "it couldn't be, could it?"

"Raven?" Judith touched his shoulder, snapping him back into reality.

"Sorry, Judith Darlin', just thinking." With a nod from her, he turned himself towards the castle, running in only glancing back to make sure his friends were following. Once they were inside, they closed the door and were greeted with silence. "No doubt other people will get the same idea, let's move."

The gang continued to run, leaving the outside far behind. They reached Estellise's room and decided to take shelter in there until further notice.

"What's going on outside?" Karol asked as he causally glanced out the window, seeing wind rip branches off the trees and black rain pound against the window, leaving dark smears.

Raven spoke up, "I'm not exactly sure but…" he held his breath for a moment, hoping his brain would come to a different conclusion. But it didn't, "someone might've just casted an endin' spell."

Rita even looked perplexed, "An ending spell? I've read about them but no one is said to have figured out how to use one."

That, Raven wished was true, "The fact of the matter is, they were figured out durin' the Great War. But the empire had it hidden away. Even though it's been hidden, the people who figured it out didn't forget it. One of 'um might be usin' it now."

Karol asked what everyone was thinking, "Who would do that? What exactly do these 'ending spells' do?"

Raven didn't have to answer. Rita did, "The ending spell comes from another theory in Blastia Research. The theory of Blastia-Aer relations. That theory states that the more aer one uses, the bigger and purer the blastia needs to be in order to use it. A researcher by the name of Alice Crow studied the Blastia-Aer relations theory for a number of years before he came up with his own theory. The Ending theory."

"Ok," Karol lolled, "I'm still lost."

"That's because I'm not done, you idiot," Rita almost smacked Karol, but decided to wait till later, having bigger problems right now, "Alice Crow claims that if one channels enough aer through an imperfect blastia, one that's not pure enough or large enough, they can ultimately call upon an ending, the destruction of a given area." Rita paused, "Through all of the research done on the Ending Theory, nothing conclusive has occurred. When strong amounts of aer were channeled through a small blastia, the overwhelming pressure of the transaction caused the blastia to explode. Damage to the blastia, but no destruction of property other than that."

"Sounds scary," Karol said.

Raven finally chimed in, "The theory was proven, though, after using kritian subjects in the research."

"Kritians?" Judith asked, "Why would the theory work different when a human subject was introduced?"

A realization dawned on Rita, "Because a blastia is just the filter for aer, humans are the ones who actually control it. If you had someone who was strong enough to continue to flex aer through the blastia, while stabilizing the core, it would be possible to release that energy, thus creating a mass destruction on a given area."

"That's what they found," Raven replied, "although the continued research of it was found illegal after the war, scientists never stopped studying it. Also, those involved were never detained, thus allowing them to give off that information to others. It wasn't until years later the empire decided to get a handle on the forbidden research and its researchers, but by then it was too late."

"So this Ending Theory is being used now?" Karol shivered at the thought.

"I'm not sure. The one time I was near when it was used, this is the type of stuff I remember. Black rain, heavy winds. The buildup of aer causes the elements to go out of control until that energy is released."

"What happens next?" Karol feared the impending answer, knowing full well what would come next.

"When that energy is released," Raven said, face grave, "This entire area will be gone, consumed by a massive amount of aer."


	17. Growing Fear

Here's the next chapter! It's been a good month and a half...I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! Thanks to everyone who keeps on reading even though I don't update near as often as I should (I swear I'm working on changing it, honest). Also, thanks to those who always review! I wish I had time to reply back to them all, but unfortunately, that's not the case. However, I do appreciate them and I do love when I get them! SO THANKS TO REVIEWS BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! Anyway, like I said last time, the story is getting close to ending (no pun intended...does anyone get my pun?) and I am considering a sequel so I need to know if people are interested in it. I would type the entire story out first so I could update it regularly (that's my new rule on fanfiction so this whole waiting forever can never happen again...come to think of it I should sit down and just finish out this story, huh?) Anyway, please leave a comment telling me if you'd read a sequel to this story! That way I don't waist me time on it...just saying. As always READ, ENJOY AND REVIEW! THANKS!

* * *

Chapter Seventeen-Growing Fear

When the clash of thunder came, Yuri winced. His eyes darted outside for an instant, viewing the black rain tumble down.

He was sure he hadn't seen anything like that in his life. A tint of fear gripped at him but his attention was immediately drawn to Flynn and Florence.

"Looks like a storm's coming," Florence stated without much care. His black eyes travelled between the two men and then back to the window. "Flynn, can you take care of this by yourself?"

"Why?"

"Justice might need some help."

Flynn didn't seem shocked at the reason and nodded as a response, "I can kill Yuri without you."

"Just don't have too much fun, ok?" His smirk made Yuri cringe. And without further words, Florence was gone, leaving Yuri and Flynn to their battle.

"Flynn, please reconsider," Yuri knew his attempt wouldn't do anything, but he figured he should try. It was really going to come down to fighting.

No words exited the blonde's mouth, instead, he raised his sword again, previously blue eyes nothing but gray.

"If that's how you want it Flynn," Yuri threw himself towards Flynn, twirling his sword from one hand to the other. It made contact with Flynn's sword, a loud clink echoing. Before Flynn could counter, Yuri turned the blade off of Flynn's, twisting himself around and then landing the blade against Flynn's left arm.

He let out a quick yelp before slashing his sword towards Yuri, missing him only by a hair.

Yuri jumped backwards, bent down and launched himself up, steel meeting steel.

Over and over again, the clang of their weapons resonated through the hall. Sparks flew between their steel and their eyes as they reacted to each other's hits.

It was like it was back then, Yuri thought. Back when they were kids and would duel each other to get stronger. Then when they were in the knights, the way they would go at it, trying to best each other and their own skills, taking on any injury they got because of their practice.

Yuri could feel his heart growing heavy with each exchange of the blade.

This wasn't the Flynn he'd known for all of those years. This wasn't the way things were suppose to be between them. They'd had their spats, yes, but this was different. Flynn's eyes were emotionless. He hated Yuri.

But Yuri didn't hate Flynn.

His thoughts were interrupted when Flynn's blade smashed into his left shoulder. Yuri screamed in pain, losing his grip on his sword. As it clanged to the ground, he toppled to his knees, rolling out of the way as Flynn brought another blow down.

The tile under the sword cracked and Flynn kicked Yuri's weapon away, the hilt and blade skidding against the tile of the empty hall.

"How does it feel to be defenseless, Yuri?"

Yuri turned his gaze towards Flynn, attempting to hold as much anger in it as possible, "What happened to you, Flynn?"

"What happened?" he gave a dry chuckle, "My eyes were opened, I thought I told you that."

"You can't possibly hate the empire so much that you would side with Justice."

"How would you know?" Flynn turned his head, eyes glaring into Yuri's soul, "How would you know anything about me or how I feel. Opinions change, Yuri."

"And yours changed?"

"Yes," Flynn raised his sword once more, hovering it right above Yuri's head, "and I plan to act on the way they've changed."

Yuri could hear ringing in his ears. He'd be able to dodge, but he'd have to time it right. Too soon, and Flynn would readjust his attack. Too late and, well, the end was self explanatory.

"Goodbye, Yuri," The look in his eyes scared Yuri, but he forced himself to stay focused. With a swing of silver, Yuri felt his heart stop for a brief moment, but not because of the sword. Because of the flash of pink behind Flynn.

* * *

Raven knew there wasn't a lot of time if they were going to stop the ending, but going about it was going to be complicated.

No doubt it was Justice's doing. Regardless of why he was triggering it, he needed to be stopped before he killed every single person in Zaphias.

They had all agreed to stick together and follow the aer to locate the culprit. When they found him, they would have to kill him quickly. It seemed like a decent enough plan, the only problem being actually killing the person successfully.

Justice had to be the one behind the entire thing, which was once again, a big problem. He was a General, much stronger than a captain. Raven knew their chances against him were not well balanced, the scale tipping heavily in Justice's favor. But they didn't have a choice by now.

"I wish Yuri were here," Karol whispered behind Raven, who shot a quick look to the short kid.

"Yuri's safe where he is…" Though Raven knew that wasn't the reason Karol wanted Yuri here. Yuri was a very strong person and equally strong headed. He'd be able to help them in a jam, but right now he was in bed, recovering.

Raven wasn't even sure if Yuri was safe, actually. He could be dead right now…

Now wasn't the time to consider any possibility other than the most positive. He needed to stay focused. The ending was happening at this very moment and they were on a very short clock to stop it.

* * *

If fear had taken hold, she couldn't tell. With courage raging though her veins, she didn't have time to feel fear. The idea had terrified her. Watching things unfold as they did and then the thought coming to her, quick as lighting, it made her cringe. But in the end, she knew she didn't have time to think it over.

Attacking Flynn with Yuri's sword was the only way to save Yuri.

The blade had lodged itself in the blonde's back, red flowing down, staining his shirt and the crisp tile under it.

She couldn't see his face but she could see Yuri's and imagined Flynn's carried a similar expression, though maybe with a tinge more pain.

Though she had just stabbed the man she loved, she didn't feel guilty. It was the only way to save Yuri and Flynn.

After a few shocked moments of silence, Flynn pulled himself off the blade and slashed behind himself, swiping at air and collapsing to his knees.

Yuri ran to Estellise. She quickly handed him the sword, her job being done.

"Thanks," Yuri said, looking at her.

She watched as Yuri held the sword in a similar fashion towards Flynn, "why'd you change?"

The blonde smiled, "why should I tell you? Why not just kill me?"

"You're my friend, Flynn. I could never kill you."

He didn't look up at Yuri, "that weakness will get you killed, you know. I've turned against you, Yuri. And because of that, you should have no problem killing me."

For a moment, Yuri didn't speak. He stared at his blonde friend, bloody and broken, just like he was. Then, to Estellise's surprise, Yuri lowered his sword. This caught Flynn's attention.

"What are you doing? Finish me!"

Yuri shook his head, dark hair dancing back and forth.

"Finish me!" With the blonde's last remaining strength, he pushed himself up to level himself with Yuri. Before Flynn could raise his sword, Yuri dropped his sword and raised his fist, landing a hit in Flynn's jaw.

The blow took the blonde down, his entire body slamming against the ground before he had time to catch himself.

Estellise's breath hitched, "Yuri! What are you doing?" She couldn't believe Yuri had just punched Flynn, though she found herself relieved he didn't stab him instead.

Yuri gave Estellise a soft glare before returning his look to Flynn, "You're done, Flynn."

The blonde looked at Yuri, both of them exchanging stares for a long time before Estellise noticed something.

His eyes were back, blue and clear. He was watching Yuri carefully. He tried to say something, but nothing came. Instead, tears became to stream down his face. Estellise knew then, Flynn had lost his battle with Yuri but won the battle inside of himself.

* * *

Justice watched in muted awe as the black encircled Chandler. He couldn't find any words to say, a panic tore at his heart as he heard the clamor of the other generals slow and then stop at the realization that something else was going on besides their fights.

Chandler was really planning to do it, wasn't he?

Justice couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed. All this time, Chandler had been on his side. Sure, Justice had had enough of him and sent him away after getting him demoted from Commandant. He hadn't ever really liked Chandler, either. He had always admired him, but never liked him.

Either way, Chandler had been his mentor and also the one who originally proposed this whole plan. Chandler wanted to take over the empire, just like Justice did. That's why he made it all the way to commandant and that's why Justice had to get rid of him.

That betrayed feeling came from the fact that he was now fighting against a man he had thought would be broken by now. That wasn't the case.

A man he had conspired with was trying to kill him, and all for being too greedy with the whole taking over the empire thing. No doubt the only reason Chandler was participating in this little 'save the capital' thing was to get back at Justice for betraying him.

But that didn't matter because Justice knew he had bigger problems to deal with. Chandler was going to do something stupid.

Justice pulled himself together, raising his sword towards Chandler, "I'm going to kill you before you can go through with this little plan of yours."

"Go ahead and try," Chandler brought his sword back, the black still pulling and pushing its way around him. Justice couldn't help but feel scared of what could happen. Chandler was always known for being brash, and this was an excellent example of one of those shining moments.

Justice charged, swinging at Chandler's head. He blocked, though, throwing Justice's sword back and swinging his down. Justice moved, the point of the blade missing him by only a few inches.

The other generals seemed mesmerized by what was going on, by the two men fighting for their lives and the lives of thousands of others.

* * *

Flynn couldn't bring himself to stop crying. He couldn't bring himself to care about that anymore. It was like a fog had lifted and he was back to feeling normal. That choking feeling was gone, replaced by the tears dripping off his face.

He held Yuri's gaze a bit longer, then he looked at Estellise. Her beauty was the most comforting thing and his friend standing there, not willing to kill him was the icing on the cake.

A brief smile crossed his face before he started coughing, blood coming up. A familiar feeling he'd had before. He didn't dwell on it though, because Estellise's hand touched his cheek and a surge of warmth, one from the healing arte and the other from the personal contact, rushed through his body. She couldn't heal him entirely, but she managed to patch up his wound.

He looked into her face and was greeted with a smile, "I'm so glad you're ok, Flynn."

* * *

Florence had always prided himself in the art of manipulation and this entire case was no different. Flynn had been easy to brain wash, easier than he had thought it would be. The kid felt fear just like everyone else and seemed exceptionally prone to it because he was always putting up a tough face. But as much as it had worked, Florence knew it wasn't meant to last. Flynn was now pitted against someone who could actually knock some sense into him.

Yuri Lowell would have been a better target, Florence thought. Although he might have been tougher to handle, Yuri wouldn't be changed near as easily.

The entire reason he baled was because he didn't want the wrath of both Flynn and Yuri, especially Yuri. He did need to help Justice, though, that much wasn't a lie.

No doubt the man would want to be left to his own devices and it was up to Florence to deal with any company he might get in the meantime.


	18. Unstoppable

I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK SO FREAKING LONG! I completely lost interest in this story for the longest time (partly because I'm replaying Symphonia and can't stop thinking about it now) and also because I'm not very happy with how 'plot-holed' this story is. Honestly, I thought about not finishing it but I realized that wouldn't be fair to those who've been waiting and waiting and waiting for me to update. I also realized (as I've been stating for the past couple chapters now) that I'm so close to the ending it's almost painful! I decided that I am going to finish this story and nothing is going to stand in my way now! I've got three days a week where I've got, like, two hours of free time so I'm dedicating myself to getting this story finished!

In other news, now that I've falling back in love with the characters (namely Chandler and Justice. Even though Chandler is very hard to write and Justice is completely insane, I've found that I love them to much to hate) there will be a sequel. I've got basic plot ideas being shifted around in my head so be expecting that when this one ends. Of course, like I said before, I do plan on typing it all out and editing it before I post it since I hate when I don't update for months and then feel really guilty about it.

Ok! Now, without further delay, **Please Read, Enjoy and Review!**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen- Unstoppable

Yuri, Estellise and Flynn rushed through the castle, feet slamming against the tile causing the sounds to rush out and bounce off the wall.

Yuri felt weak. His entire body was on the verge of collapse after everything that had happened. Who knew going against Flynn would be so taxing? Either way, he couldn't let that bother him right now because he didn't have that luxury. They needed to find Florence, more importantly, they needed to find Justice.

To the dark haired man's anger, the blood-thirsty redhead had slipped away, leaving Flynn to finish off Yuri. Thankfully, that hadn't happened, but none the less, it bothered Yuri. That man was headed towards Justice, which made the chances, Yuri knew, of seeing Florence again was extremely high and when that happened he would give him a piece of his mind.

"Any idea where he Justice would be, Estellise?" Flynn asked, sounding even worse than Yuri thought he would after running for solid minutes.

"I have no idea," She kept running, "but I know you and Florence were taking me to him and this hallway leads to the bell tower."

Yuri spoke up, "Why would he be up there?"

"I wish I knew," Estellise spoke, heels clicking beneath her feet, "but it doesn't matter as long as we stop him."

"Where are your friends, Yuri?" Flynn's questioned shook the swordsman to the core. Where were his friends? Yuri hadn't seen them since he woke up. A huge army had broken through the front gates so had they gone to take care of that?

"I'm sure wherever they are, they're safe." That was a lie and Yuri knew the two could tell. But they didn't say anything, which comforted Yuri. Now wasn't the time to be worried about the others because they needed to be more worried about themselves.

Flynn shook his head, "we need to find Justice at all costs…" his feet stopped solidly, Estellise and Yuri running by the blonde before stopping.

"Flynn?" Estellise's voice was laced with concern.

The blonde shook his head, red strands dancing around in the sea of yellow, "Something isn't right."

Although Yuri wanted to sigh out a 'duh' statement to his best friend, he could tell now wasn't the time. "What's not right?" Other than a crazy dude trying to take over the country, a serial killer running loose around the castle, the massive army still attempting to fight its way inside and the now clear-headed fighting machine standing before him.

"The rain," Flynn pointed to the large windows that had been following them, black ink smashing against the window, leaving streaks of dark, "Why is the rain black?"

The two didn't answer, not having any answers.

"Also," the redhead turned blonde stated, "a strange pressure is coming from that rain, something I've never felt before."

Yuri had to admit that Flynn was right. It'd been bothering him for a while now, but black rain and the abnormal aer was enough to give him pause as well. He'd never head of such a phenomenon, and judging from Flynn's reaction, he hadn't either.

"And they're one more thing," Flynn's face turned grave, drawing Yuri's attention back to him, "This energy…it's not Justice at all."

"Energy?" Estellise asked, tilting her pink head to one side.

The blonde frowned, "when the rain started up, and even now, the presence I felt wasn't at all like Justice. This castle's overflowing with energy, which I would normally expect to belong to Justice…"

"but it doesn't?" Yuri finished, looking into his friend's blue eyes.

"No. This is definitely someone else," Flynn spoke, his words harsh against the stone walls, "Someone else is causing this weird weather as well as the aer fluctuation inside the castle."

Yuri's heart skipped a beat. Justice wasn't they're only problem now. Someone else was also trying to kill them all.

* * *

Justice felt cold sweat break out upon him as his blade continued to collide with Chandler's. It wouldn't be long now and Chandler would release the Ending, something that would completely destroy them all. What was this man trying to do? Stopping someone at all costs was vastly different than killing yourself and an entire city to eliminate one person.

It was so different, but not that strange for Chandler. In Justice's opinion, the man had never gotten his priorities straight, which was why the two were fighting against each other now.

"Are you sure you want to wipe out everyone?" Justice tried not to sound panicked, but even now his control was slipping away. It would have all been fine if Chandler hadn't shown up to spoil the show. Right now, Justice would be in his tower watching his army destroy those who oppose it but no, he was fighting for his life against his former teacher.

"Unfortunately, that's the only way to stop you."

Chandler was such a straight forward person, which bothered Justice.

Brash and informal, a total waste of potential, Chandler had always gotten everything handed to him even though he didn't deserve it. And now that Justice was about to seize glory, Chandler, of course, had to steal it away.

If he couldn't have it, then no one could.

A clash of thunder rang though the conference room, causing everyone to pause. The storm was raging outside, aer going farther and farther out of control. So much so that it wouldn't be long, not long at all, before Chandler could release the energy he was storing inside of himself.

"General Chandler, this is an outrage!" An older man shouted, his voice caked with terror. "You can't possibly justify doing this!"

Chandler didn't respond at first, making everyone wonder if he was even listening. Then, he spoke, voice dark, "You've brought it upon yourselves, I suppose." He had everyone's attention, "Many of you stood blindly beside Justice, others simply turned a blind eye. Now he's become more powerful than you know and there's nothing you can do to stop it. The Ending is coming so I suggest that all Generals who don't side with Justice start evacuating anyone they can, although I doubt it will do much good."

The same old man retorted, "Stop this madness, General!"

For a brief moment, Justice swore he saw remorse cross over Chandler. But it was gone when the ex-General spoke, "I'm giving you time to save your pathetic lives." Poison shot from his words, making the other Generals flinch.

Without another word from any of them, they headed for the door. Leaving, like cowards, they fled through the building until they were out of earshot of the room. As the room filled with silence once more, Justice couldn't help but smile.

His men were still here and Chandler had just lost his army, abandoning them in the slight chance they might make it out of the capital with their lives. To Justice, it simply showed him how right he was. Those who head government shouldn't be so fearful of death and yet, they run like sheep at the smallest startling noise.

"It looks like you're alone now," Justice grinned, the other Generals that surrounded him bearing a smirk as well.

Chandler didn't say anything, leaving Flanoir to speak as she pleased, "You can give up, save yourself the pain of losing to us."

Tao, wiping his brow with a sweat-stained cloth nodded, "I plan on crushing you for what you did to me." He heaved a giant breath, Chandler glancing back at him.

"Do you think I'll surrender?" Chandler's voice was ice, chilling Justice slightly. Now wasn't the time to be getting to confident. There was a reason Chandler had been the Commandant before. Even though he'd been in those mines for ten years, the man still had a lot of power left, far more that Justice figured he would.

None the less, Chandler wouldn't be hard to beat when all of them worked together. Justice couldn't let himself get overconfident, but he already knew he had this victory in the bag.

* * *

Estellise was taken off guard when a group of Generals ran past, screaming at the top of their lungs for the three to take up their example and leave before things could be destroyed. It didn't seem to shake Yuri or Flynn's resolve, but honestly, Estellise had been disturbed.

No, she wasn't thinking they should leave. After all, Justice was still inside as well as whoever was putting off that much aer. They couldn't very well leave them to their own devices, but Estellise pondered what they'd meant.

If things were going to be destroyed, then she couldn't back down. The inhabitants of the castle were in danger, the people of the town were in danger and also, they were in danger as well.

She kept running, keeping pace with the two boys and thought. Thought about how things had progressed up until now, how things had managed to get this bad. She thought about Flynn's fake death and how Yuri had been so badly wounded while he was breaking out of prison. She also thought of the man who helped Yuri, her friends and those that needed to be saved.

"Based on the direction they're coming from," Flynn stated, eyes set up ahead, "they were most likely in the conference room."

"Are you sure?" Yuri's question was more of a statement, double checking his best friends memory.

"I'm absolutely sure," The blonde's voice was filled with resolve.

Estellise knew what that meant. He would be fighting soon, along with Yuri, against an enemy they could only guess about. Yuri, while he was still injured and Flynn, the knight she had cried so much for. The knight who had taught her so much about herself. That knight. Her knight.

* * *

It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Chandler lunged back, dodging a swift swing from Flanoir only to have to throw himself to the left to evade a large axe crushing against the ground where he use to be.

Justice called a spell, splash, and managed that managed to knock the wind out of Chandler and then follow throw with slamming his foot into Chandler's side. The pain made the ex-General wince as he skidded sideways, dropping to his knees when another sword swung over head.

This was getting him nowhere. The Ending, thankfully, was still in effect, but the biggest problem was trying to spare himself enough time to strike at them. Justice was his main target, but he remained untouchable, his wall of General's making it impossible to reach him.

If there was one thing Justice was better at than Chandler, it was bribing people. He wasn't sure what he'd promised, but it was obviously enough to make them stick around when something as cataclysmic as the Ending was going to be unleashed.

Chandler dodged again, this time swinging his own sword towards Flanoir who dodged as well.

"Aren't you getting tired of this, Chandler?" Justice's voice was mocking, slowly getting on Chandler's nerves.

"Don't think I'll give up."

Justice only scoffed, "I don't want you to give up, Chandler, that's not near as fun."

What a sadist, Justice was, "It won't be fun when I kill you." Chandler figured it wasn't a very good comeback but he had to say something, right?

In an instant, Chandler saw an opening. Throwing himself through a gap of space between two Generals, the ex-General made it past the wall, raising his blade directly against Justice.

A glare came from Justice's eyes as he blocked the blow from above, twisting his sword sideways and bringing it down on chandler's side. The man let out a yelp, but pulled his sword into an attacking position, landing it right into Justice's shoulder.

The two froze for seconds, eyes fixed on each other as the black energy coming off of Chandler's blade danced around the new wound it created on Justice. The other Generals were paused, glancing towards their leader, begging for an order of any kind. One word and they would wipe out their enemy.

"Why," Justice grunted, shifting his weight under Chandler's sword. "Why did you come back?"

"Because," Chandler didn't break eye contact, "You left me to die down there. I don't take kindly to back stabbers."

"Is that so?" Justice grimaced as Chandler pressed the blade deeper into his shoulder, "How did you manage to get out? Why were you in prison?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you? I'm sure you heard the reports." Chandler's face grew dark, "I slaughtered everyone in that stupid, little mine and the knights brought me to the surface. It was that simple."

Justice spat blood, "So it was you. I should have guessed."

"Now is the end," Chandler's words came but suddenly he couldn't breathe. From within he felt a fire raise through his lungs and shades of gray danced in his vision.

Justice raised an eyebrow and smiled, "No, Chandler. Now is your end."

From behind, the redhead smirked, black eyes combing over the wound they'd just created. He smiled to himself and then smiled to Justice, "Sorry I'm late."

* * *

Yuri's eyes met with the scene just as he turned the corner. Even though there were people in the way, he could tell what was going on. In front of the small gathering of Generals, Chandler was fighting against Justice and it turned out that Chandler had just lost, taking a sword to the back.

And by none other than Florence the Red Devil, himself.


	19. The Choice

Another Chapter is up and running! Thanks so much to the few who review! What you say really means a lot to me! I also want to thank those who read this story (Especially if you started with me at chapter one and have stuck with me through this entire process! That makes me extremely happy!). Now, I have a challenge for all of you, though I don't think it's as much a challenge as it is a request. This story is so close to reaching 100 reviews! It's literally14 review away from getting there...if my math is right which, chances are, it's not because math and I have mutually agreed to hate each other. Either way, it would make me the happiest camper in the world if this story got to 100 reviews when it finishes so, just saying, review if you would so that can happen! Anyway, enough about my hopes and dreams!** Please Read, Review and Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen- The Choice

Yuri couldn't believe what he was seeing. Within a second, Chandler had been stabbed, the blade removed and the red devil grinning towards him. Blood stained the demons teeth and it took everything Yuri had to keep his cool.

In front of the swordsman not only stood the man who had brainwashed his best friend, but the man who was trying to destroy this entire city, Justice.

"It took you long enough, Princess," Justice's voice was soft, barely being caught by Yuri's ears.

"Stop this at once, Justice!" Estellise held authority in her words but the general just laughed. The others started to chuckle as well, the room echoing with a choir of scoffs and hushed tones.

Florence was also laughing, a red haze seeping out of his tongue. Beside the devil, Chandler's body fell to the floor, the sound ending the laughter immediately as Justice's eyes trailed to Chandler. The general smiled to himself, like no one was watching him. Bending down, he placed a hand on Chandler's head, the smile becoming more and more malicious.

Yuri couldn't watch this anymore. He knew he needed to get Estellise over to Chandler as quick as possible if there would be any hope to save him. He looked to his best friend, the blonde nodding quickly as if reading his mind.

With a quick step forward, Yuri spoke, "I'm taking you down, Justice."

"Is that so?" Justice stood up, leaving the body of the ex-general be, eyes focused on his new target. "I'm afraid you're the only thing that stands in my way now, Yuri Lowell. I was hoping sending you off to prison would educate you a little, maybe get you killed, but that didn't happen because you made friends with Chandler." Justice's way of saying things bothered the dark haired man. It was like he'd planned out every word or something.

"To bad that didn't happen because now I'm going to kick your ass," Yuri, sword already drawn, glared Justice in the eye, "I won't let you get away with what you've done."

"Really now?" The general smiled at Yuri again, "Then, let me see what you've got."

In one motion, Justice was through his gathering of Generals and right in front of Yuri. He was caught off guard, nearly being hit by a downward swing. Thankfully, he threw himself to the left, jabbing his sword towards Justice's stomach.

With a twirl, Justice maneuvered around it, slashing his blade towards Yuri's head.

In a second, another sword had blocked it, Flynn standing between the two.

"Flynn?" Yuri's voice spat.

"Don't get distracted," Flynn pushed back on the other's blade, shoving Justice back some and allowing the blonde to swing down, "Can you handle him?"

Yuri understood instantly what he was being asked of. Only one could fight Justice, the other two would have to stave off the flood of Generals as well as help Chandler. The dark haired man didn't have to give it a second thought, "I can take down this bastard."

"Good," Flynn ducked down as Yuri's sword came swinging overhead, taking on Justice's blade as Flynn crawled out from under and headed towards Flanoir.

No doubt Yuri would have to fight more than Justice. There was one way a knight and a princess could keep them all preoccupied. But he couldn't concern himself with that. He had to keep focused. After all, he would be facing the strongest enemy he'd ever faced in his life.

* * *

Estellise had managed to fight her way through the crowd of Generals, reaching the dying ex-general. She collapsed to her knees as Flynn, from behind, continued to fight off the hoard of military men. She had no idea where to begin, though.

She'd saved Flynn so surely she could save Chandler. She didn't know Chandler very well, only met him when he'd brought Yuri into the hospital, but she knew she had to try and save him. He could even help beat them back after all.

With her gloved hand, she reached down and touched the wound, a green light emanating from her finger tips. Within seconds, the wound started closing up, the blood seeping back into it as if nothing had happened. The fair haired girl felt the strain of her artes as she continued to close the wound, telling herself not to give up.

Another crash of thunder echoed through the room, booming wildly before dying down to let the wind take over. She could hear the sound of the black rain, pounding faster and faster onto the roof of the castle.

Whatever was happening outside, it was bad and only getting worse. But what had caused all of the strange weather? She couldn't even begin to think of what had that type of power.

A gasp escaped her lips when a hand came upon hers. She snapped out of her daze and looked, seeing the bloody hand of Chandler, as he turned on his side to reach to her, stretched out and holding hers.

"You're awake!" She smiled, removing her hand from his and helping him sit up. "Are you ok? Can I heal you in any other way?"

"I'm fine," She didn't know him well, but his voice sounded off. His entire body seemed out of place. "So Yuri's fighting Justice, huh?"

Estellise was trying not to look over there, knowing full well she'd rush in to help if it was needed even though her place right now was here, healing Chandler. "So it seems," was all she said.

"He can't take him on his own," Chandler waited a while as if feeling for the right words, "So it hasn't stopped?"

"What hasn't? The storm?" Estellise listened, the sound of the storm raging far louder than even the clanging of swords around her.

"Yes, the storm…The Ending."

Estellise wasn't sure what he was talking about. Now, though, wasn't the time to be thinking about that. Before she could start healing Chandler again, the black haired man got up, struggling against the pain of his wounds, using the table as support.

"You're hurt," Estellise retorted to deft ears.

"He can't take down Justice."

Even though she didn't want to admit it, there was truth to his words. She could tell that Justice was far better at fighting than Yuri. He'd had years of training and years of practice, where Yuri only had his adventures with his friends to help strengthen himself. It wasn't the best match up in the world, but also Estellise knew Yuri had a much bigger heart. He could win if he really tired, right?

"You should run, princess…"

"What?"

"Save yourself. There's no point in getting mixed up in all of this."

Estellise didn't understand what she was hearing. Why would she run?

The Chandler's voice came into her mind, "The Ending is coming, princess."

"What's the Ending?" She tilted her head as he walked by her, leaving her question in the air for a second before he decided to answer it.

"Justice is going to bring about an Ending and it will destroy this entire city. Get out while you can, take Yuri and Flynn with you."

Now she knew she was going crazy. What he was saying she couldn't comprehend. An Ending? Was Justice planning on using some massive arte to destroy the Capital? How could she leave when those kinds of circumstances were on the line? "I'm definitely not leaving if something like that's going to happen."

She sounded very sure and Chandler dropped his shoulders, "Then I guess we'll all be brought down in the fires of hell."

He walked away from her, leaving her to ponder his warning.

* * *

It wasn't long before Raven could feel the blood in the air, telling him exactly where to go. Outside, a massive war raged in the courtyards, maroon angels fighting against the mixed soldiers of the Capital. The weather was getting worse, signs the aer was going more and more out of control. Raven could feel it in the depth of his soul. If things continued like this much longer, they would all be doomed.

With quickening steps, he led his fellow compainions through the castle, reaching thin tile hallways covered with blood.

Karol was the first to stop, "What's this?"

The old man held back his urge to state the obvious, "Looks like someone or somethin' was fightn' here."

With an angry glare, the mage spoke, "Whatever happened here, it looks like it's over. Let's keep going."

Raven, although he didn't like her tone of voice, couldn't agree more. They took off again, leaving the mess behind and heading towards an unknown fate.

* * *

Florence had positioned himself in a corner, watching as the generals who blindly followed Justice fought against a Captain in the knights. It wasn't very fun to watch, counting the Captain was managing to keep them all busy by switching between targets for each blow. They hadn't caught on yet, which gave the redhead gone blonde a huge advantage.

Those steely eyes were back, though. That was the one thing Florence hated. Those blue eyes, filled with resolve and determination had finally been lost when the kid broke, but now…

Justice didn't look like he was making much progress, either. The entire situation seemed lopsided, actually. It was almost comical to watch as the ragtag group of three managed to do so much damage to a collection of Generals, each at the top of their class. Chandler also looked like he was in commission again. No doubt, after everything was said and done, Florence would get an earful from his commander. No doubt at all.

But that didn't bother him too much, counting he was enjoying himself now. Watching Yuri fight, the way the man moved and dodged, his fluent motion, the way his muscles flexed and bended at the precise moment. If only he didn't have those eyes, similar to Flynn's.

A rock-solid determination. Something the red devil couldn't stand.

* * *

Justice was getting annoyed with Yuri who was presenting himself to be even more troublesome than Chandler had been. With every block the General made, Yuri swung back, almost nicking Justice every time. The boy had talent.

Too bad he hadn't stayed in the knights. Maybe, just maybe, Justice would have recruited Yuri and made him his second. Unfortunately, that wasn't how things turned out. But there was no point in regretting the past. After all, Justice was so close to accomplishing his goal. With Estellise in the room, even, he'd be able to change the Empire and then, soon, the world.

It wouldn't take that long, well, after he killed Yuri Lowell.

After blocking one of Yuri's attacks, Justice twisted his wrist, swinging his sword into Yuri's side. The blade didn't have much time to rest there because the dark haired man dropped down, throwing his leg under Justice's feet, causing the General to trip.

Justice feel hard onto the tiled floor, gasping for breath as Yuri threw his sword down, nearly ramming the piece of metal through the Generals skull.

So it was definitely kill or be killed, huh? Justice wasn't that worried about it. He'd beat Yuri sooner or later. How long could the dark haired man fight, anyway?

The two exchanged blows, swords clanging together over and over in a crisp melody. Justice used all of his weight to slam against Yuri's sword, the two standing only inches apart, swords grinding together.

"Just give up," Justice spoke, his eyes already glowing with the gleam of victory.

Yuri scoffed, spitting blood to one side, "Like I'd let you win."

Yuri pushed back on the sword, forcing the two apart. Once again, the blade rang together as they continued to fight, each one attempting to slash at the other. Justice didn't manage to land very many blows on his foe, though the other was doing a worse job than he was.

Justice could feel a smile cross his features again, triumph already melting into his system. There was no reason to hold back, was there? Yuri was the last man standing in his way, standing in Justice's way to glory. He wouldn't let this boy take away his victory. Not now and not ever.

With every bit of strength Justice could muster, he pushed past Yuri's blade, slicing the dark haired man across the face. Blood seeped from the wound and Yuri cursed under his breath.

"I won't let you win, Yuri Lowell…" Justice positioned his blade upright, "O sacred fire who's voice I hear, I call upon you to incinerate my enemies!" A large vortex of fire shot from Justice's blade. Yuri blocked the blow just as it slammed against him, throwing him to the wall and burning his skin.

Justice smiled as the fire died down. Yuri was standing, body burned and beaten, glaring towards Justice. It wasn't over yet, but it soon would be. Yuri Lowell couldn't stand against Justice, no matter what he tried and it was only a short matter of time before that became so. Yuri would fall to his blade and the Empire would belong to him.

* * *

Chandler wasn't into making choices but this time he didn't get the option of not doing so. All his life, he'd obtained from making a choice, leaving it to others to do. The only choice he'd ever made was to take over the capital, to reform things for the better and make the Empire the prosperous and feared power it had once been. But making that choice had cost him and now he was going to commit the biggest case of homicide the world would likely ever see. He was going to wipe out the entire Capitol city, murdering every single person, including himself. And all for what?

There was a big reason he hated making choices.

The Ending was going to happen, there was no stopping it now. That wasn't a choice he could change but now, he had to decide. Make a decision. Take that risk.

He had to make a choice, a choice that, both ways, he'd regret.

Rather side with Yuri or side with Justice.

Both sides reached the same conclusion because on both occasions, he needed a host. There was a huge, gigantic reason Chandler hated making choices but this time he didn't get the option to opt out. He had to choose.

He closed his eyes, thoughts pressing against his brain, and opened them. Looking out at the two men he had to choose between, and made up his mind. He had his host in mind, steadying his blade in his hands. Before him were two men he truly respected but, in the end, he had to choose.

He'd found a host. He'd made his choice.


	20. Not Even a Memory

Chapter 20! I've officially typed 20 chapters for this story! That makes me feel so accomplished! I realized that this chapter mirrors chapter 10 quiet a bit...see if you can find the connection :D Anyway, this chapter might make some people cry ( I guess depending on who you are. I know I was feeling that burning sensation behind my eyes...of course, we all tear up at our own writing.) so have a tissue close by. Other than that, thanks to all who are reading this fic (and the few who reviewed! Thanks!) and I promise you the end is almost at hand! As always,** READ, ENJOY AND REVIEW!**

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Chapter Twenty- Not Even a Memory

At first, Justice felt nothing.

He could see the blade running through his stomach, it's tip ruby red with blood, but he couldn't tell what was going on. Had someone just stabbed him? Was he injured? Was that possibly his blood on the tip?

That wasn't possible was it? His eyes glanced upwards, fixing themselves on Yuri, who's blade was slackened next to him. So he hadn't been stabbed by Yuri Lowell. So then, who had stabbed him?

He watched through blurred eyes as black haze started to cover everything. It was then that Justice felt the extent of what was happening.

He'd let his guard down. He'd been careless. For the first time in Justice's life, he'd made a huge mistake. One that he knew he'd regret, even in hell. From behind, a burning sensation drowned out all other feelings inside of him, pulsing its way up his severed spine and ripping into his brain. A hot, red liquid spilled down his black and maroon uniform as he swerved back and forth on his feet. The pain was intense, a deep pressure dragging itself against his eyes. Black started to coat his view and the swordsman he was fighting against stood in shock.

Maybe awe?

It was impossible to tell. The ebbing pain grew larger and larger like nails clawing their way down his skin. He let out a shriek, though he wasn't sure if that was his voice or not. But it didn't matter anymore. It couldn't matter now.

Pain.

Blood.

He was going to die, wasn't he? Justice's mind snapped at the thought, a rush of fear mixed with adrenaline pumped through his system, replacing the blood that was quickly depleting.

Throwing himself forward, Justice removed himself from the hellish blade, twisting his mangled body around to see who had done this to him. Standing before him was his old friend and presumed dead enemy.

What perfect irony, huh? Chandler Vice, the strongest man to ever become Commandant, was the one to betray him in the end. What price could be put the expression of his face right now, anyway? Justice figured he was making one hell of a face as Chandler's features blurred under his decreasing vision.

Chandler's mouth moved but no words came out, leaving Justice to wonder if the man was speaking at all. A dark feeling swarmed within the General's body and he was sure that, once again, he was screaming.

The pain was corrupting his mind, bringing him to the brink of insanity and then he felt nothing. It's silence echoed around his insides as his vision went completely black.

* * *

If there was one way in telling they were headed the right way, it was the incoherent screaming echoing inside the hallway. The first one had caught them all of guard and even Raven stopped to look around.

The black rain was still pit-patting, the thunder still ringing against the clad sky. The scream had been a surprise. It didn't take long for them to fall back into step, though, and it didn't take long for another scream to ring around the tiled walls.

It was unnerving, but at least it meant they were going the right way. Raven, previously, only had guesses to work off of, but now, the screams were more than enough proof that something was happening this way. Something, he hoped, that was for the better.

Just as the though entered and exited his mind, the wind outside picked up, the black liquid slamming against the window, almost shattering it with its sheer force. The old man turned his gaze to the dark stained windows as the roar of thunder became deafening.

Judith spoke, her voice barely audible over the wind, "We'd best hurry and find the others. No doubt this weather is due to the Ending theory."

"Yeah," Rita quickened her pace, "And from the sounds of it, this Ending theory's going to be kicking off pretty soon."

Raven nodded but didn't say anything. He didn't want to admit it but he already knew it was too late.

* * *

Yuri couldn't believe what he was seeing. Justice had been stabbed by Chandler, something Yuri expected, but now Justice was twisting and contorting, bending in seemingly impossible positions, as a dark, snake-like ribbon formed around his body. It slithered around, twirling around him and the open air in some sort of awkward dance.

Justice was letting out random screams, catching the attention of the other Generals.

Flanoir let out a long scream, "Justice!" She ran towards him, pushing past Chandler, who did nothing to stop her, and placing her hands on the General's shoulders.

What Yuri saw next he couldn't comprehend. Within the seconds it took her to touch the man, the aer inside her body rushed forward, ripping itself out of her and replacing it within Justice. Her body shriveled and warped, finally falling as dust to the floor.

"What the hell?" Yuri heard Flynn say. Yuri ignored his friend's remark, eyes treading to Chandler who was watching the form wither and writhe around on the floor as the darkness consumed him.

The swordsman conjured up his voice, "What did you…do?"

"I've put the Ending into its final stage. There's nothing you can do now to stop it."

"The Ending? What's that?" Yuri could feel the aer in the room start to condense, pressing down harder and harder on him. Moments passed and then the aer was thick enough to see. He knew, then, that this wasn't going to end well. "Chandler, what have you done?"

"Only what's necessary to survive. Justice cannot be beat easily, so triggering an Ending was the only way to stop him and his assault."

Tao piped in, his voice as heavy as the aer, "The Ending? You can't mean that's what you've been doing this entire time…That's the spell you've been casting?"

"You're stupid, Tao," Chandler's voice was cold, "all of you are."

For a moment, the only thing that could be heard was the rushing sound of the storm growing outside and the screams and wails of Justice.

Even though he wasn't sure what was going on, Yuri could feel a heat rise up inside of him. There was no way he'd let Chandler get away with this. Killing Justice, sure, but triggering this 'Ending'? No way. "Chandler, what exactly does this Ending do?"

"I don't have time to explain. Justice is the host of it, though."

"So, you've found a host?" Yuri turned to see Raven standing at the door, Rita, Karol and Judith standing behind him.

"Schwann?" Chandler spoke softly. He spoke up, then, "Yes, Justice will be the host for this Ending."

Yuri looked between Raven and Chandler, "Is someone going to explain what's going on?"

Raven's eyes narrowed, "Chandler's been cycling aer through his blastia for some time now and it seems he's put it into a host body. When he does that, it gives the aer a 'home' , so to speak, and once Chandler releases the aer he's been building up, well, Justice will be the bomb and this entire city will be his target."

To this, the swordsman had nothing to say. He could only stare, like everyone else, in shock and horror of the truth. Yuri looked towards Chandler who stared back at him. "Chandler, call it off."

"It's too late for that, Yuri."

Flynn's determined voice came in, "That can't be! We've got to find a way to stop this from happening!"

"Don't you see?" Chandler's voice was shrill with emotion, causing all eyes to fall on him, "This system is broken, the people who run it are corrupt and nobody is willing to change it!" He looked around, staring everyone in the eyes, "If you can't change it, destroy it and start over. Get rid of those who use to be in power and set up a new government. That's the only way to truly change things."

Yuri growled, "Even though you're right, you're still wrong. Destroying everything won't fix it. It will only allow others who are just as greedy to come into power and set up an even worse system. You speak as if there are absolutes and there isn't any! Chandler, you find a way to stop this or stop it myself!"

Chandler chuckled, "Yuri Lowell, you're an honorable man, but I can't stop this now and neither can you."

Even with Chandler's words hanging over him, Yuri spat venom, "You're rather with me or against me, Chandler. I'm going to stop this and if you try and keep me from doing so, I'll make sure you pay for it."

With a slight smirk, Chandler looked Yuri in the eyes, gray meeting blue, "You're really something, aren't you. So determined to save this corrupt system. I guess you give me little choice." Chandler held his sword steadily in front of him, above the withering General, pointing it's bloody tip towards Yuri.

Yuri followed suit, holding the blade level to Chandler's. Yuri could see the other Generals moving into action, fighting against Flynn again as they worked their way to Justice in a vague attempt to save him. Raven spoke from behind Yuri, "What do you need me to do, son?"

"Help Flynn. I've got Chandler."

"Right." Raven and the others quickly went to Flynn, fighting off the Generals as Yuri continued to stare down Chandler.

"Are you sure," Yuri's words were crisp, "You want to do this?"

Chandler only smiled, "It's the only way to save the empire."

A crash of thunder came and the two swung at each other, the clang of their blades louder than even the thunder.

Yuri could feel the anger swell up inside of him. Chandler had painted himself as the good guy, someone who was going to help and now they were on opposite sides, facing off in a battle for their lives.

* * *

To Florence, Justice looked pathetic. The man was crumbled and broken, screaming and yelping as the massive amount of aer consumed his body. But this really wasn't the show Florence wanted to say for. It wasn't on his list of things to do, the whole dying by a massive amount of aer thing.

He slipped along the wall, grinning at the bloodbath that was ensuing between the Generals and the ragtag group of fighters. He'd never really been one for rooting for teams, but he did have strange wish to do so. Maybe it was because he saw potential in people like Yuri or maybe it was because he saw someone he couldn't believe was real.

Honestly, Florence wasn't a romantic, but he did feel his pulse quicken when the short brown haired girl in red ran by. That feeling terrified him so that was another reason to leave the scene.

By then, Chandler and Yuri had moved their battle into the halls, the ringing and clashing of metal against metal indicating as much. With a hop in his step, Florence waltzed past Justice whom he wouldn't dream of touching, especially after watching Flanoir fade into dust. A couple steps and he was past the fading figure and peaking into the hall. Yup, there they were, fighting against each other. Florence figured it was a good strategy. Chandler couldn't release the Ending if he was distracted by other things and Chandler had a bit of an ego and would never allow himself to end the life of the city before he finished the fight. Fair is fair.

But, then again, it wasn't any of Florence's concern. He just needed to leave.

From behind, he heard shouting and noise so he turned his head to see. The Generals had gotten the upper hand and the ragtag group was doing their best to fight them back. No, Florence wasn't going to help but watching the mage dance around was entertaining.

Oh right. Everything was going to end soon. He didn't have time to dillydally. He heard the ragtag team shouting commands and a name echoed inside his mind when it was said.

Rita.

The one named Rita was the mage he was so captivated in. The name sounded familiar though, like he'd heard it a million times.

Then it dawned on him and he knew he needed to leave right then. If he stuck around she might recognize him, too.

* * *

If he hadn't been such a fool, this wouldn't have happened. If he'd just followed like a good soldier, he might be on the winning side right now.

Nothing but pain echoed inside his mind but even that, he'd become numb to.

It wouldn't be long, he figured. An hour or so? Chandler would release the Ending and Justice would be through.

No one would remember him or know of his valliant battle to try and save the Capitol. It would forever be a mystery, one that couldn't be solved or come to any type of conclusion. He'd be forgotten, just like the rest of them.

Left behind by time.

It was the one thing Justice feared, being left, forgotten, abandon, and it happened to him. Chandler had betrayed him, his cause had betrayed him and finally, time had betrayed him.

He was supposed to rule everything. He was supposed to be the god of the new world, bringing justice and light upon the dark and dead land! He was going to bring about a new era. He, alone and by himself, was going to change the empire and then the world.

He was going to bring about the dawn of man, the enlightenment of all people! And why not? Why shouldn't the people be allowed free reign, the right to choose what they will and will not do? Why couldn't one do as they pleased, love who they wished to love?

Love.

He'd never gotten to say goodbye. He'd never gotten to tell her how he felt. He'd given her hints, yes, but he wasn't sure if she even knew. He'd asked her to join him, to help his cause, but she declined. An arrow to the heart.

But that didn't stop him. He kept going, kept fighting. He was going to change the world, he was the only one who could!

He was going to be a savior!

But now, he was going to be nothing. Not even a memory.


	21. Now or Never

Hello everyone! It's yet another chapter as we begin to reach the end of this story. I'm guessing this will end with chapter 23 but I'm not sure. Everything adds up to ending it there so that kind of tells you where we are in the scheme of things. Also, I've always named my chapters to match the situation but I've noticed as of late I've been naming the chapters after phrases in the chapter. They still match and all but I just thought I'd bring it up because the three words 'now or never' come up twice in this chapter so that's part of the reason I named it that. Also, thanks for the reviews and thanks for the faves/subscribes! They always make me happy when I see them in my inbox! Either way, enough of my talking! On with the show!

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty One- Now or Never

With a quick swipe at his feet, Yuri nearly knocked the ex-General off balance. The black haired man was able to jump beyond the tip of the blade, landing back a couple inches and then swinging at Yuri.

The blade was headed towards Yuri's left side, so he blocked with his blade, twisting Chandler's blade away and taking a swing of his own. The two continued to attack each other, blades crashing and ringing in the empty hallway. It was a melody to accompany the crashes of thunder, which were increasing in strength with every passing minute.

Yuri could tell he was losing time by fighting Chandler but there wasn't another option. Getting Chandler to surrender was the only way, though Yuri wasn't sure he would give up. The swordsman had convinced himself, if worst came to worst, death was an acceptable option. Although killing Chandler might release the aer that was being trapped inside of Justice, causing the bomb to go off anyway. But it was a risk he had to take.

The ex-General caught Yuri off guard when he swung his long blade downwards, slamming into Yuri's sword. The swordsman watched as Chandler pressed down, lowering his blade inch by slow inch. With some effort, the dark haired man pushed back, attempting to cause Chandler to back up and give themselves some space again. However, Chandler twirled, kicking Yuri's right side which knocked him down.

Followed closely after that, a wave of energy came rushing forth from Chandler's sword, "Demon Fang!"

Yuri shifted, throwing himself back up on his feet before the light could hit him, Yuri narrowly escaping the attack. Chandler wasn't giving in, though. He charged Yuri, side swiping his blade. In a quick second, the two had skidded their blades together and then apart, both jumping back to catch their breath.

Yuri's side still stung from the impact as he glared at Chandler, "You're really serious about this."

"Did you think I wasn't?" Chandler's voice had taken on a very different tone. The lightness had dissipated into a thick dark coat that seemed to seep and seethe as the words escaped his mouth. The Chandler Yuri had known was all but gone, leaving behind the man who had at one time been Commandant. A man who had legends written about him, a man who had killed for his country in the name of honor and glory, a man who had no doubt seen so much corruption he could never imagine a world without it.

It was almost ironic, Yuri thought. The way he thought was similar to Flynn, both seeking to end the corruption and both seeking a way to make the empire prospered, but they had somehow come out differently.

Chandler had indicated with some strength that he knew Justice, though Yuri was unsure of their relationship, he figured he had a good idea. The two had conspired together, hoping they could create an empire that would prosper for eternity. The only problem was that greed had gotten in the way and that lead to the events of these past hours.

Chandler spat some blood up, most likely from his previous wounds, and started at the swordsman, "You don't have time to gawk at me. If you want to stop the Ending, you'll have to get through me first."

"Do you want to die?"

"I didn't say that."

"I know, that's why I'm asking. If you're capable of stopping it, then stop it. You're not going to gain anything by destroying it all. If you destroy this empire, another will step in to take its place and, guess what, they're going to be just as bad, if not worse, than this one is. You can't end corruption by destroying it. It's human nature…"

"Human nature?" Chandler turned around, looking through the hallway as if searching for something. He turned his attention back to Yuri, his eyes void of any feeling, "Yes, Yuri. You're right about that. It is human nature to be greedy and power-hungry. It is human nature to push others down to advance, to not be left behind. But does that justify it?"

The blood in Yuri's veins began to boil, "I'm not justifying it or trying to make it right but you're doing the same thing. Killing everyone is just another way of not being left behind, isn't it?"

To this, the ex-General didn't immediately respond. He looked about, eyes causally glancing out the window and then back around the hall. Yuri was beginning to wonder if he'd ever answer, when the man spoke up finally, "I suppose you're right about that. Unfortunately, I've become a victim of 'human nature' but that can't be helped now." He walked over to the windows, tracing his finger down one, leaving a faint line.

Just like when he had talked earlier, something was off. His entire poise was different, earning a raised eyebrow from the swordsman. Was Chandler up to something?

Catching Yuri off guard, Chandler threw his fist into the glass. The crystal fractured and flew everywhere as the man's hand became soaked with black liquid. To the dark haired man, this move was pointless. Smashing glass wasn't very important at a time like this and it didn't seem to be something he needed to do to trigger the Ending.

Chandler looked towards Yuri, eyes now void of anything except something Yuri couldn't place. The man was losing his mind and Yuri could only guess why.

The ex-General removed his hand from the hole it'd made and he examined the cuts. After taking in the view of his own blood he looked at Yuri. With a cold smile on his face, he said, "How about we take this outside?"

Before Yuri could reply, Chandler's body light up and the light around it crashed into the wall. The loud sound hurt the swordsman's ears as he looked past the dust to see what Chandler had done. Beyond the man was a huge hole, rain sloshing its way inside as the ex-General escaped to the roof.

"Wait!" Yuri called, giving chase. He could feel it in his gut that it wasn't a good idea. He just knew that something bad was going to happen if he followed but he also knew he didn't have a choice. It was now or never, the destruction of the Capitol or the destruction of the man.

* * *

The loud booming sound from the hall had caught Flynn off guard. He turned his head to see what could have caused such a noise but all he could see was dust bellowing through the doorway, covering the dying General who'd been behind his kidnapping. That reminded the blonde that one key player was missing. He'd been there before but he wasn't there now.

Florence had fled the scene, the cowards slipping away amongst the fighting.

From behind, Tao's large axe came swinging down. Flynn dodged, narrowly evading the ground smashing blow.

Tao huffed to catch his breath, "You're to fast."

"Maybe you're too slow," Flynn mocked, though he knew it wasn't a very good come back. The large man took in a massive breath and swung again, this time trying to lop off the blonde's head. Flynn ducked and dashed towards the giant, swinging his sword at his knees. With a terrible roar, Tao tumbled backwards, landing on the table and causing it to fly up, hitting him as well.

Flynn flung his blade to the right, traces of blood slipping off its sleek end and he turned away. Tao was only the begging. Although he was large, he wasn't anything compared to the others they had to face.

Rummaging came from behind and Flynn turned to look. Tao was pushing himself up, blood seeping from his knees. He was down but he wasn't out. Honestly, Flynn didn't want to waste his time with Tao, finding himself far more worried about Yuri after the large crash had sounded in the hall.

The giant stood up, glaring down at the blonde, "You can't beat me that easily." He grinned as he lifted his axe off the ground, "Just stand still and I'll make this quick."

Flynn glared harder at the man, feeling the anxiety grow as the larger of the two began to ready himself for striking.

Yuri, Flynn thought.

Tao raised up the weapon, swinging it down. The blonde dodged magnificently, twirling around to swing at Tao again. To his surprise, the larger dodged and swung again, this time nearly slicing Flynn in two. To his surprise, Tao was starting to take Flynn seriously so Flynn decided he'd better do the same.

Flynn forced himself to concentrate, all the while thinking about his friend. Stay strong, Yuri…

* * *

Florence had managed to get outside of the Capital, coming to a resting spot when he reached the stronghold.

It wasn't exactly his style to leave a fight but now that his boss was 'unemployed' it meant Florence could do as he pleased and dying wasn't what he pleased himself to do. It bothered him, though, that Rita was there. He hadn't seen her for years, ever since he was imprisoned at the very least. He wasn't sure if she'd noticed him but he sure noticed her. She'd gotten a lot older, like most people do, and she'd grown quiet tall.

Florence shook his head, letting the images of Rita that floated in his mind dissolve. He didn't have time to be thinking about her. She would be dead soon anyway and that was something he knew he couldn't get down about. She had been a part of his life at one time but she most certainly wasn't now. He'd made that choice when he'd killed them.

He knew that.

She knew that.

Florence stood at the entrance to the hold, gazing back at the black-stained Capital. The once bright windows, stained with every color of the rainbow, glowed a dim black, the reds, oranges and yellows nothing but a memory for the pictures those colors created. The white building was marred by red and black, the sky above the castle, once beaming, cast a dark shadow on it. The entire scene was depressing and no doubt those from all around who could see were curious, curious as to what was going on.

"That surely means death is well on its way to the citizens of the Capital."

Florence turned his head to see a strange man standing next to him. The devil was sure he hadn't heard the stranger walk up beside him. He studied the man as the stranger looked towards the skies that covered the city.

In all his life, the demon was sure he'd never seen someone who looked so out of place. The stranger's hair was a bright red, not unlike his own, that was long on one side of his head and then swiftly changed to short on the other, creating a very sharp diagonal along the man's back. His clothes were odd for a stronghold citizen, a robe-like coat that he wore buttoned at the top, letting it fly open at the bottom. He didn't look like he lived in the hold. Hell, he didn't look like he could live anywhere, except Aspio. But Florence didn't say any of this as he observed the man.

The stranger turned and looked into Florence's eyes. The golden iris' reflected the devil's image as he looked into them. It was only a second of eye contact because the man turned his head and started walking away.

Florence watched, eyes catching on the cuts on the man's neck, showing where the hair was cut short. There, written with scars, were the words 'A Crow'.

* * *

Chandler had reached the roof, running up to the top of the castle only glancing back to make sure Yuri was following. And, to the ex-General's relief, he was.

The dark haired man was following like hawk, navigating his way up the castle roof as the black rain showered down. It wouldn't be long, Chandler knew. The Ending would be triggered soon and Yuri had yet to defeat him.

They would all pay the ultimate price. That was, of course, if Yuri couldn't manage to take Chandler down. He knew he wasn't going to give up without a fight since it was the only way to actually help the empire but Yuri had some potential.

If he could defeat the ex-General, he might just be able to save the world. With a quick turn, Chandler brought himself to the very top of the castle, the roof flattening as it met his feet. With their final battle place chosen, Chandler turned to face his enemy. It wasn't long before Yuri got to the top as well, eyes fixed.

"Are we done playing cat and mouse?" Yuri asked as he readied his blade.

"Yes," Chandler raised his sword, pointing it directly at Yuri, "It's time to choose this cities destiny. I win, it's destroyed. You win and it just might be saved."

Chandler watched as Yuri positioned himself to charge. The strength in his gaze told the ex-General this wasn't going to be an easy fight.

"Come at me with everything you have, Yuri," Chandler braced himself, "It's now or never."


	22. Honor

The second to last chapter is posted! I plan on posting the last chapter sometime this week if possible (I'm thinking Tuesday). Anyway, I actually had a tough time writing this chapter because of all the action. I was so worried it's be badly written and no one would know what was going on. Please tell me if I did a good job (or bad job). Even with that hardship, I did have fun writing this chapter. There is a part in here, I should warn, that isn't told in third person. It's actually told in first-ish person, though the speaker doesn't ever say "I". Do be aware of that and know it wasn't just a slip in my writing (that section was my favorite to write by the way and everything inside of it was purposeful so just be aware). Anyway, I'll let you all get to reading.

As always,** Read, Enjoy and REVIEW!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Two- Honor

As Florence watched the stranger walk away, he visibly shivered. Something was off about that guy. Sure, he himself wasn't exactly the most 'on' person but the stranger was definitely way out of Florence's league. The way he looked, talked and dressed caused a tingle of fear to work its way into the devil's system, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

The stranger disappeared into the distance and the demon could feel himself relaxing. What was with that guy, anyway? Anyone with a brain could see the Capital was in turmoil, that something bad was happening. It didn't take a genius to figure it out and yet, there he was, walking towards it like he couldn't see it.

Hell, anyone who could feel the changes in pressure due to aer could tell there was something ominus going on in the Capital, but that didn't seem to change what the man was doing.

Either way, Florence knew he couldn't let the stranger stop him from getting away. Chandler had never said how big this impending explosion would be and the demon wasn't about to stick around to find out. Clearly, getting to Halure would be his best option since the barrier of the tree could hopefully protect them if things went wrong.

Without a second thought to the man with the scars, the red devil turned on his heel and entered the Hold, the entire time feeling a deep burning sensation inside of his chest.

* * *

Yuri swung his sword at Chandler relentlessly, flipping it between his hands to slam it down again. Yuri knew that if he gave in for even a second, Chandler would be able to fight back and push him away.

The swordsman wasn't sure why they needed to fight on the roof, let alone in the black mist while streaks of lightning crossed their vision every couple seconds. It wasn't hard to tell that things were slipping closer and closer to chaos and the longer the two did battle the less of a chance Yuri had to stop the Ending. But why were they fighting out here? Was Chandler hoping for some freak lightning bolt to smite Yuri and end the battle?

"Azure!" A trail of blue energy flew towards the ex-General but the man dodged, copying the move and throwing it back at Yuri.

The wave was much bigger and far greater than Yuri's had been, slamming into the off-guard boy and throwing him back. His body tumbled across the roof, slipping off of the leveled platform they'd been fighting on and onto the slanted part of the roof.

A scream caught in the dark haired man's throat as he threw his sword into the roof tiles, stopping himself just short of falling from the roof and to his death. His breath hitched as his body hung off the edge, his sword the only thing keeping him alive. He attempted to get his thoughts back together. Honestly, Yuri had forgotten Chandler could copy any move he saw. He'd done it in the prison when they were making their escape so it was no surprise he could do it now. Unfortunately, Yuri's thoughts were interrupted when another wave of Azure came towards him. Tile ripped off of the roof as it approached and the boy knew he had to act fast.

Using all of his strength, he pulled himself onto the roof with great speed, flipping his body to the left, and landing right along the edge. Underneath him, his feet tried to slip on the wet tile, but he ducked down, putting his hands on the cool roof to get his balance.

"Nice dodge," Yuri heard the ex-General call. It wasn't much of a complement, but Yuri wasn't about to complain. He didn't have the luxury of time right now.

With as much grace as a rock, Yuri started heading towards the leveled area, knowing full well it would be an uphill battle.

Another wave of Azure came down, Yuri now running to dodge the blasts which came in continuation. It was like the guy never ran out of energy. Yuri threw himself to the right to dodge one and all at once, Chandler was upon him.

Chandler stabbed downwards, nearly decapitating Yuri. The swordsman twisted away, rolling slightly down the slant. With a quick motion, he stood up and got his balance and glared at the ex-General.

"You didn't think I was going to take the easy road, did you?" Chandler was almost mocking him, which only made him more irritated. "Really, Yuri, I thought you'd be smarter than that. There's nothing we military men like more than to slay our victims with our own hands. It gives the body a certain pleasure that can't be accomplished any other way."

"You've just made my job a lot easier by coming down here," Yuri scoffed, "I don't have to run up this roof to get to you."

"Then come," Chandler took several swings at Yuri, his position being higher on the roof than Yuri giving him an advantage. Swinging down was far easier than swinging up, and Yuri could feel the difference in his arms. The strength of Chandler's swings were tiring, slowly pushing him down the roof, and he didn't know how much longer he could take it. Dodging wasn't a realistic option. Chandler's range was far greater due to the height and Yuri didn't have time between blows to do so anyway.

But dodging, Yuri realized, might cause him to get injured but at the very least Chandler might lose his balance.

The dark haired man waited, continually blocking, for the right opportunity to move. The swings came in a pattern, leaving only half a second between each slash to make a difference. It was that half a second Yuri needed to use.

As the blade came down and went up again, Yuri dropped down and shifted out of the way, watching Chandler as he did. For a moment, Chandler swung, not realizing that Yuri wasn't there but in a swift moment, that all changed.

The blade continued to come but instead it switched its direction towards Yuri, making a cross-cut in the air and driving into Yuri's shoulder. The burning pain of the wet metal caused Yuri to scream. The ex-General had maintained his balance and was now digging the blade deeper into the wound.

"There's a reason I was Commandant, Yuri," Chandler spoke, no emotion lacing his voice. "A simple duck and dodge technique won't be enough to take me down."

The sword dug in deeper, now grinding against his bone. The sheer pain was driving Yuri crazy and the swordsman knew he needed to get away from it now. Even with the risk, Yuri pulled himself away from Chandler, the blade ripping out of the small slice it was making in the bone and tumbled down the roof again. He was unable to get his footing, only stopping himself from near death again by throwing his hands and feet to the tile to drag himself to a stop. His body was right next to the edge, flirting with death as he laid there.

The tips of his fingers were raw from the fall, causing pain when he clenched his sword.

His charcoal eyes travelled up, gazing towards Chandler who was coming closer. Fear plagued Yuri's system. The man was powerful, probably more powerful than himself, and time was quickly running out. If Chandler didn't kill him, the Ending would.

Chandler reached Yuri, placing the tip of his sword at Yuri's face, "You've lost."

As he lay on the wet tile, he glared up at Chandler, whose face was covered with dark rain. It couldn't be over, not now. He couldn't let it end now.

Chandler lifted his blade to the side, readying to slash Yuri across the face, dig it into his brain and get it all over with. Yuri's arm throbbed but he wasn't ready to give up, he hadn't fought to the last breath. There was still time, there had to be.

As the blade came swinging down, Yuri pushed his body upwards, crashing into the ex-General's legs and sending him backwards. The two tumbled down, falling from the edge of the roof towards their death.

* * *

Flynn's body had been slammed into the wall countless times by Tao's massive body and axe. Every bone in his body felt like it was fractured and every inch of his skin screamed in agony as he peeled himself off the wall and headed towards the giant man again.

His brain told him it wasn't a smart idea to charge after him again, it just wasn't. But the blonde understood that there was little else he could do. He needed to get rid of Tao, that much was a given, because there had been an explosion in the hall where Yuri and Chandler had taken their fight and Flynn was really worried about Yuri.

Flynn brought his sword down, swinging at Tao's massive side. It struck, slashing away cloth and flesh, letting blood run free, but was smacked away again, being thrown into the opposing wall. Tao growled at the blonde, waddling over to him to bring his axe down upon him.

With as much strength as he could muster, the blonde rushed Tao, catching him off guard and throwing him to the ground. In a matter of seconds, the two were fighting for dominance over each other, both pinning the other down before being thrown off and pinned themselves.

A loud crack came as Tao pinned Flynn down, nailing him in the ribs. With a yelp of pain, Flynn twisted and turned, attempting to maneuver out from under the huge man.

"Azure Heavens!"

A storm of arrows rained down from the sky, landing directly in Tao's back. He screamed, his body becoming dead weight as he crashed down, swallowing Flynn.

The blonde couldn't breath. He felt his body being crushed under the extreme weight. His chest and side hurt where Tao had hit him and all at once the blonde could feel himself loosing consciousness.

* * *

He was tired and weak, but Raven managed to lug the giant off the top of Flynn, allowing oxygen to enter his friend's lungs again. He rushed over to him, kneeling down beside him and examining him quickly. He was breathing and, other than the crippled side, he appeared fine. Well, fine was being used liberally. The blonde was covered in cuts and bruises from being smashed into the walls as well as from fighting against the giant.

"Flynn," the old man tried, shaking his shoulder gingerly. "Flynn."

The swordsman came too, blue eyes looking up at Raven. They were glassy but Raven smiled none-the-less.

All at once, the blonde shot up, looking around as he clutched his injured side, "Where's Yuri? I have to help him." Before Raven could say anything, Flynn stood up, gasped for breath, and walked towards the door. There wasn't much he could do, Raven figured.

He stood up himself, looking around and witnessing several more generals to take care of. By the door, however, the one that was supposed to be there was not.

* * *

Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain.

That's all that's left. Pain, pain, pain. Nothing else, no, not anything else was left. Inside, outside, it didn't matter, doesn't matter. Pain, pain, pain, no, no, no, pain, no, stop.

Stop.

Stop. Doing. That.

It's hard enough, isn't it, just dealing with the pain, pain. It's hard enough to do that and still try to think, right? Pain, pain, more pain, pain.

It's like getting lost and never being found. It's the end and that's all there is too it. There's nothing that can be do, just have to wait in pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, stop, pain, stop.

Thinking about it causes it, maybe, if so, that's fine, not really, who cares, it's pain, pain, pain. No. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. No, no, no stop.

It's his fault, though. Chandler Vice, right, yes, no, yes, yes, that's right. Chandler, Chan, Chan, Chandler Vice. God, there's too much pain, pain. Too much and it's all his fault. His fault because he did this. He gave the idea, made the plans, pain, created the network of loyal soldiers. No, pain, but that's not all he did, though, no, not at all, that's just the tip. Of. the. Ice. Berg. Yup. The very tip, tip, tip. Of the iceberg.

Of course, the Ending, the pain, pain, pain, stop, Ending wasn't planned. Maybe it was, though, or maybe it wasn't does it matter no it doesn't that doesn't matter at all because it can't matter he's made his choice and now he's going to kill everyone so he gets what he wanted in end good for him he deserves pain pain pain pain pain pain stop thinking about it it doesn't help nothing helps god just stop it no maybe yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no stop.

Stop.

Stop.

It's getting out of hand, there's no stopping it now. There's too much pain now, too much too much too much. It looks like it's over. He's won and humanity has lost.

* * *

The blonde was frantic as he ran down the hall towards the large opening. He peered through it, black rain staining the entrance and the sky clad with lighting, blinding him. The loud sound must have been the wall breaking apart, though Flynn wasn't sure who or what was powerful enough to rip through marble.

Without hesitation, he moved himself outside, instantly being soaked in the black liquid as he made his way up the roof. Whatever had happened, it'd led the two outside.

To the captain's dismay, the roof was rather hard to walk on as he constantly slipped down, knees slamming against the rough tile. With every drop, he was reminded of the pain in his side but nothing was going to keep him from moving forward. Yuri was up here and most likely needed help.

Just as he reached a level point at the top of the roof, the sound of swords ringing against each other came to his ears. It was barely audiable over the cracking thunder but as his eyes travelled to the source of the noise everything went silent.

Yuri and Chandler were at war, the ex-General clearly winning in the battle. Flynn felt his body go numb as he watched the two carry on, Chandler's blade slamming into Yuri's relentlessly. In a matter of seconds, however, Yuri ducked and Chandler caught his shoulder and Yuri's scream could be heard.

As he stood there watching the battle unfold, he lost control. He wasn't going to watch his friend die, that just wasn't going to happen. There had already been too much loss, too much bloodshed, too much sorrow. It was time to change things.

As Chandler raised his blade against Yuri one last time, Flynn removed his blade from its sheath. He headed down the slope, ready to strike Chandler down but Yuri got to it first. In a moment, the dark haired man had grabbed the ex-General and ripped him down, dragging them both to their death.

* * *

Chandler wasn't sure what happened. He'd felt his entire body being pulled down, tumbling off the side of the building with Yuri. He'd grabbed onto Yuri, determined to bring him with him but they'd stopped, air and rain the only thing between them and the ground several stories below.

It was nearly impossible to see as he clung to Yuri but he attempted to look up to figure out what had stopped them both from dying. Yuri's hand wasn't holding onto the roof's edge, but instead something fleshy.

A hand.

A tuff of blonde hair was visible and Chandler realized what had happened.

That, of course, was the least of his worries.

"Flynn, what are you doing here?" Yuri's voice was drowned out in the rain.

"I'm here to save you, Yuri." Chandler could hear the struggle in his voice as the blonde forced himself to keep holding on.

The storm continued to rage on, wind whipping between them, making it hard for the blonde to keep his grip. As much as the blonde struggled to lift them, the wet roof coupled with his reduced strength made it almost impossible and each attempt was dragging the blonde closer and closer to falling off the edge himself.

"Flynn, forget about me. Don't get yourself killed trying to save us," Yuri called to his friend but the captain shook his head.

"I won't let you die. I told you, I'm going to save you."

"Think logically, Flynn. You can't possible do that."

"Think logically yourself," Flynn's words were laced with annoyance as his friend continued to try and persuade him to let them die. "I'm not letting my best friend die and that's final." Yuri winced at Flynn's words but decided to give up on arguing. He was going to do his own thing rather Yuri wanted him to or not.

Chandler scoffed, catching Yuri's attention, "It's impossible for him to pull us up."

The dark haired man growled, "No it's not." He turned his attention back to the struggling blonde, "you can do it, Flynn!"

"Asking him to try is like asking him to join us. The weather's making it impossible."

"Well, aren't you the prince of positive thinking," the swordsman rolled his eyes as he said it and that made Chandler laugh. This caught both of their attention.

Flynn asked the question that floated in both of their minds, "What's so funny?"

"This situation," Chandler managed between chuckles, "the fact that were hanging here."

Yuri frowned, "I'm pretty sure no one else finds it funny."

The ex-General stilled his laughter and looked up at the two, "It looks like I've lost." As his words escaped his mouth, the wind picked up, thrashing around like a dying animal, whipping the rain even harder onto their bodies. The lighting flashed in the sky, the bright intensity blinding them all. As the thunder roared, Chandler's laugh could be heard once more.

"Now you're creeping me out, Chandler," Yuri spoke, his voice being overtaken by the thunder. Chandler continued to laugh a little longer before finally stopping, his eyes drifting up to Yuri's.

There was stillness in his eyes, an assurance of something, as he spoke, "Yuri, you've won. It's over."

"Don't say stuff like that. If I'm going to win, it will be when I slash you apart."

"Funny boy," Chandler let out a soft chuckle before continuing, "Captain Scifo won't be able to lift you if I'm hanging on."

Yuri suddenly understood why the ex-General was acting so odd. He snapped back, "I'm not going to let you kill yourself. I already said that I'll win when I cut you down. You're not allowed to quit half way through."

"Who said I'm quitting?"

Flynn and Yuri stared at him, bodies being soaked by the black rain, chilling them to the bone.

After a moment of letting the thunder have its say, Chandler smirked at them, "Even with my death, the aer will still be trapped inside of him. In a couple of minutes, Justice's aer will combust along with the massive amounts being stored inside of him. This entire place will light up like fireworks…"

The dark haired man shook his head, "you can't be serious. Even if you die he'll still destroy everything?"

Chandler looked down, eyes falling to the ground where he soon would lay, "redirect the aer inside of his body. That mage of yours should know how to do that…"

The blonde spoke up, "but why? Why would you tell us this? If you just kept us here, then-".

Chandler interrupted Flynn, his voice as harsh as the lighting. "You've won, Yuri." His words stung both of them, making Flynn fall silent. "Now go and save the Capital before everything is destroyed."

Yuri paused, his gaze stuck on Chandler. The ex-General looked up at the swordsman, a slight smile crossing his face. As the storm continued to grow worse, they stared at each other and finally Chandler spoke his final words, "You're a great swordsman, Yuri Lowell. It was an honor to fight with you and…" he took a shaky breath, his arms losing their grip on Yuri's legs, "It was an honor to fight against you."

With those words, Chandler let go, allowing himself to fall to his death.


	23. Final Justice

Well, my friends, this is the final chapter of On the Brink. Thank you so much for reading my first ever fanfiction! I do hope it was well worth the (sometimes long) wait for the conclusion of this story! Like I've been saying, I do plan on having a sequel to this one (that's why there are some loose ends as well as a rather interesting ending to this final chapter). I hope to have it done and ready to be posted by the beginning of next year, but we'll just have to see. On another note, I'm really sad to see this story end but I'm super glad I made it this far! Thanks so much to all who've read this and a special thanks to those of you who review!Well, thanks again and I hope you enjoy the conclusion!

**As always (and for the last time with On the Brink), Read, Enjoy and Review!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Three- Final Justice

Flynn watched as the ex-General fell, dropping farther and farther until the ground halted him. The dark sky bore onto the dead man, not even allowing the crimson liquid to escape his body without being torn apart by the black rain. The vision was horrifying and the blonde quickly turned his attention away, not wishing to see the sight any more. Although he ripped his eyes away from it, the image was still staining his mind, but he would have to deal with it later.

With as much strength as he could muster, the blonde dragged his friend onto the roof. After several slips, some of which could have landed them both in the same place as Chandler, he was successful with getting his friend up.

After the final yank, Yuri was dragged onto the roof where they both collapsed for a short second to catch their breath. It'd been a difficult mess but they both knew things weren't done yet.

As if reading Flynn's mind, Yuri stood up, helping his friend to his feet, and starting his way up the roof. Once they reached the top, Flynn and Yuri began their decent to the hallway, knowing full well time was running out.

Although Flynn hadn't known Chandler long, hell, he really didn't even know him at all, he still felt the pain of his loss. The loss of a man who could have really changed the world.

* * *

There wasn't time to spare as Yuri darted off the roof, body soaked in black liquid, and entered the hallway. Inside, the sounds of battle rattled the tile walkway, echoing and bouncing about in an attempt to be heard.

Yuri took off, his feet guiding him to the entrance of the conference hall where he stood in horrified awe at the scene. Estellise was busy healing Karol and Judith while the others were battling their way through the Generals. The entire equation was completely mismatched as his friends raged against the far greater number of Generals.

His senses coming back, Yuri looked around for Rita, whose small body was hidden away in the chaos.

"Rita!" Yuri dashed in, Flynn close behind. It only took a couple of seconds for the dark haired man to locate the mage, who was casting violent pain on an older gentleman Yuri had never seen. After the dark tentacles rained down on their target, Yuri grabbed Rita's shoulder, catching her attention.

She twisted around, slamming her scroll into Yuri's arm before realizing who her 'attacker' was. "Yuri? Flynn?"

"Yes, Rita," the swordsman rubbed at his sore arm before continuing, "Chandler's taken care of but I need your help in defusing this aer bomb."

"Shouldn't killing that bastard have taken care of that?" Her voice carried annoyance as Yuri shook his head.

"I don't have time to give you the entire story but he told me we have to redirect the aer inside of Justice to stop the Ending from happening." As if on cue, the storm outside rammed against the building, causing it to shake. Everyone who was fighting stopped, fear growing as their panicked voices filled the air. They finally realized something outside of their power was going on and there was nothing they could do about it.

Flynn's voice cut into Yuri's thoughts, "we need to do this now."

Yuri and Rita nodded, the three of them making their way out of the mass of Generals. It wasn't long before they reached the front, only to see Justice wasn't there.

"Shit," Yuri scoffed, looking around for any sign of the dying man. It wasn't like he could get up and walk away, right? He was too far gone to do anything of the sort. So then, where was he? With a frantic look about him, Yuri continued to search in vain for Justice, all the while knowing time was running out.

If he wasn't here, where would he have gone? With another look into the room, the Generals and his friends standing silently as the storm reared its ugly head; the dark haired man took off down the hallway, passing the opening leading to the black outside.

Flynn and Rita followed closely, the two of them jogging to keep up with Yuri. There wasn't enough time for this, Yuri thought. Chandler had said the Ending was going to happen within a matter of minutes. There was no time to play hide and seek but unfortunately, he had little choice.

Justice was missing and it was only a matter of time before the bomb went off.

* * *

There was honestly nothing to keep him from doing what he was doing. He'd lost his will to attempt at escape, he'd lost all drive to try and find a way to save himself and he couldn't care less if the Capital went to hell. There wasn't anything to think about any more. He was going to die and he was going to die soon. Those were the facts of life and, quite frankly, he'd accepted that.

Although, he wasn't entirely aware of his acceptance.

He'd lost his ability to think, contemplate, understand or ponder. Those things had died with his sanity a long time ago. Deciding to take over the empire had killed him, inside and out, and the aer charging through him was simply finishing the job.

He stumbled mindlessly into the empty room, knowing full well she wouldn't be there. She'd probably left, after all. She was smart like that, which was another thing he used to like about her. He, of course, didn't feel one way or another anymore. She was going to die just like he was, but they wouldn't be going to the same place.

Absently he looked around, eyes gathering absolutely nothing from their surroundings as he made his way to her desk. It was crammed in the back corner of the room, every piece of paper stacked neatly on top. Her room, something he'd always noticed, was extremely tidy, similar to how her captain's room looked. There was something inside of him that wondered if she was trying to impress that captain, try and get him to notice her the way she noticed him. Of course, it didn't work, just like his own attempts didn't work.

It wasn't meant to be, that much was clear, and he used to resent that fact. Now, though, he couldn't resent much of anything. As he collapsed on the floor, body inches away from her desk, his devastated mind thought of her and her alone.

Even in his last seconds, he'd be with her. If she could exist in his frayed mind, she could exist with him for eternity. Although they were going their separate ways, she would stay with him inside of his head. Hell would claim him soon, but she would be there with him, a figure he can't touch, a voice he can't hear, a smell he can't catch and a women he could never stop loving.

As his thoughts of her faded along with his own fleeting mind, he was at peace. He'd finally accepted death, welcoming it with open arms.

* * *

Rita wasn't sure where they could find Justice. It wasn't like he was in the physical condition to get anywhere but still; it was ridicules that he was missing and even worse that they couldn't find him. Yuri had said something about time being of the essence, so the entire affair was grinding on the mage's already thin nerves.

She watched as the dark haired man took another turn, twisting his body down another hallway that would most likely lead to another dead end. But none the less, she followed, determined to save the Capital.

As they ran, their shoes made solid clicks against the harsh tile, which was quickly disappearing due to the vast darkness outside. With limited vision, the group continued their search for Justice. It wasn't until the faint sound of whimpering came to Rita's ears that she stopped, "hey," she managed as she strained herself to listen.

"What is it?" Flynn asked, catching Yuri's attention as well. The three stood still, silence bouncing off of them. After a couple of seconds though, the sound came again and Rita perked up.

With a nod to her companions, they headed towards the sound, feet guiding them to a small gold door marked with the silver emblem of the Flynn Brigade. "This is Sodia's room," Flynn spoke. The curiosity couldn't be mistaken in the blonde's voice but that wasn't the issue right then.

With a quick motion, Rita swung open the door to find Justice lying on the ground.

The sight of him was grotesque. He was covered in blood and oozing soars, his skin burned in various places due to the sheer amount of aer riding through his veins. The once proud uniform clung to him in rags, ripped and tattered. Along his arms and face, claw marks could be seen and Rita found herself nearly gagging at the thought. The man was truly lost, leaving him to attack himself in a vain attempt to rid himself of the aer.

The mage had never seen someone so far gone from aer exposure but even though the sight was disgusting, she shook it off and looked at the two men. "Ready?"

Two nods sent her flying to the dying General as she opened up his aer reader. "This thing's going crazy. His aer levels are extremely high."

Yuri's complained, "That's nice Rita, but can you fix it?"

She glanced over the information that burned into her eyes, sweat beginning to form on her brow. Could she fix it? She was smart and very good with this kind of thing, she'd be the first to admit that, but was he too far gone? Was it possible they'd come too late?

"Well," Yuri's voice cut through Rita's thoughts and she shook her head. There wasn't any time to think about it. If she didn't try, she'd die anyway. With as much determination as she could muster, she began clicking away at the screen. "I'll need to use you two to direct the aer away from this place."

"That's fine," Yuri said, getting himself close enough to Rita so she could catch him. Flynn followed suit, both men positioned and ready to go. With a couple of clicks, two bright circles appeared under them. She closed her eyes and began to focus.

Using her own body, as well as the two's bodies, she moved the aer through them, pulling it out of the dying man's body. With as much speed as she could use, she started filtering it into the sky, letting it dissipate into the atmosphere. Outside, the raging storm started to slow, dragging itself against the castle. It twisted and contorted against the white building, its fearful wind and rain fading with each passing second. Before long, the wind couldn't be heard and the black rain that had been falling so hard was nothing but a soft whisper.

"It's working," Flynn breathed as he continued to battle the pressure of the aer.

"We're not done yet," Rita's voice came softly as she pulled the last bit out and pushed it into the air. With a matter of seconds, the screen disappeared and the circles vanished from sight.

Yuri looked around, eyes scanning the area for any sign of trouble, "Is it really over?"

More silence and then finally, a sigh of relief. Rita smiled, sitting down to catch her breath.

All at once, heavy rain began pouring down, catching everyone's attention. Flynn shot up from where he was sitting, taking himself to the window. "It's raining."

"No duh, Flynn," Yuri spoke as he approached his blonde friend. Outside, a clear, white rain fell, washing away the blood soaked earth, cleansing it of its impurities. The two smiled at each other as Rita made her way to the window as well, all three of them drinking in the clear rain and the end of the battle.

* * *

"In closing comments for this report, I'd like to say a couple of things," Raven put down his pen to exam everything he'd written up to that point. The report had been lengthy, since he'd been there to witness many of the things that had gone on, and looking back at the entire document made him wonder how on earth he'd gotten to the end.

Alexia wanted a complete report from every captain or General that had been there, although he'd spared the blonde captain who was most involved from writing one until he was out of the hospital. The old man groaned as his tired eyes skimmed the document. It was due tomorrow, after all, and he'd only started about six hours ago. It was truly a miracle he'd lasted this long.

As he read, his eyes caught on a spelling mistake, which he quickly attempted to correct with his pen, "Regarding the incarceration of the Generals involved, a speedy trial was pursued, with each member receiving the death-"death starts with a d not a b, "-penalty for the crimes of treason, conspiracy to commit treason, mass murder and attempted mass murder." Although he thought it was a bit cruel to sentence Tao to death, at least by someone else's hand. The massive man couldn't be hanged, beheaded or shot to death. The most they could do was starve him, though it might take a couple of years for that to kill him.

He continued reading, ignoring some missing commas and periods before stumbling upon another mistake, "Even though many of the surviving Generals were against it, I do think that having ex-General Chandler burned in the proper fashion was the wise choice. The man, although he attempted to destroy the Capital, did honor-" Yup, not horror,"-this country during the Great War. I don't agree, however, that he should be stripped of all titles, names and ranks. The other Generals seem to think it due process, but I think that's rather rude." Of course, attempted genocide is also rude, Raven wanted to add, but he didn't feel it belonged in a formal review.

Once he was done reading over the document, he looked at the very empty ending.

With another swig of coffee, he got to work on the final comment's he wished he hadn't mentioned. But, to be honest, there was a lot to say. "ex-General Chandler, although receiving a proper funeral, was not given the utmost respect. Only two people attended the event, one Captain Flynn Scifo and a Yuri Lowell. I did go for a short moment, but that was all. No words were spoken about the sacrifices he made for the sake of ending the Great War, no tears were shed on account of his loss and, even as he burned, no one mourned, not even the two who stood before the fire. Although I can't say for sure what they were thinking, you could ask them but good luck catching Yuri Lowell, but I could tell it wasn't about him. Instead, it was probably about who he used to be, or pretended to be. Perhaps even about The Ending Theory and how terribly powerful that is. Speaking of which, I've received word that that particular information has been spread to others just as powerful as Chandler and I suggest, with as much urgency as I can, that you locate those who know. Either way," Raven looked through what he'd written and sighed. There were a million things he could say but he decided to leave it at that, "That's all there is to say regarding this incident."

He signed his name, closing the massive document and rubbing his eyes. It was time for bed, he thought.

He stood from his desk, clicked off the lights and went to sleep.

* * *

"No sir, I'm sorry, but you're not allowed to leave," the lady in white said to the man. He was wrapped firming in white cloth, red stains already making their way to the surface as she gently nudged him back to a laying position. No matter what he tried, she wouldn't let him leave, not even sit up. Instead, she'd bring him back down and would leave him alone for a couple of hours.

His ice blue eyes travelled out the dark window, catching the light of the moon. Something about it made him smile, or at least, he thought it was smiling. He wasn't sure. Maybe he'd ask the lady in white the next time she was around. Then again, maybe he wouldn't.

"The moon's full," another man's voice said as the man in the bed continued to look out the window. He didn't register the other man's presence, but he was thinking his reply.

Of course it is. I've been watching it turn that way, too.

"A shame."

Why's that? I happen to like the moon, full or not.

"They're never going to let you leave, Justice."

I've heard as much. Something about trials and how I've yet to have one. Of course they won't let me leave.

"I can take you away from all of this. The pain, the torture," the other man walked closer to the bed-ridden Justice, "I can take everything away."

So that's who you are, then. I've been waiting for you. You've finally come to claim me.

"Are you ready?"

Yes.

The moon disappeared behind a cloud, turning the room as black as a crow. When the light emitted its eerie glow once again, the bed was empty, a single black feather left in Justice's place.


End file.
